Causes of the disease
The disease occurs after harmful microorganisms enter the body.
The most common pathogens are streptococci. Staphylococcal infection is less common.
The disease can progress in different ways. The main influence on the nature of the disease is exerted by the individual characteristics of the organism. In this case, we mean the state of immunity. At the initial stage, tonsillitis usually occurs in an acute form.
The patient experiences weakness and an increase in body temperature. Factors that provoke the development of the disease are a sharp change in temperature or direct communication with a previously ill person.
Germs are transmitted through the air or common household objects.
At the beginning of the disease, adults may only experience an elevated temperature. And only the next day the main signs of infection appear.
Purulent sore throat
Purulent tonsillitis is dangerous due to its similarity to viral infections. Doctors choose weak medications, as a result the disease progresses and complications appear. This form of sore throat has a positive function for the body: thus, it protects itself from infection by microbes of internal organs.
Purulent tonsillitis occurs as follows: pathogenic organisms are present in the air. Getting into the oral cavity during breathing, they begin to actively reproduce and develop inflammatory processes in the tonsil area.
Tonsils are formations of lymphoid tissue. It takes part in the formation of immune cells. It is here that the fastest regeneration of cells of the immune system occurs and the fight against viruses that have entered the body.
Infection of the tonsils is the most successful option for infecting the body. In this case, the patient will develop immunity. When the brunt of a sore throat falls on the tonsils, the internal organs are completely safe and are not at risk of infection.
Symptoms of the disease
In order to answer the question of how to determine a sore throat in an adult, you should consider the main signs of the disease.
First of all, with tonsillitis, a sore throat occurs during swallowing. Other symptoms will depend on the type of sore throat and the type of specific pathogen.
If the cause of the disease is streptococcal infection, the patient experiences:
- Temperature increase;
- Pain when swallowing;
- General weakness and malaise;
- Fever alternating with chills;
- Loss of appetite;
- Aches in the joints.
Streptococcal tonsillitis is not characterized by a cough or runny nose.
With a viral form of infection, a runny nose and cough appear. The voice becomes hoarse. The disease is often confused with a cold.
With a viral sore throat, there is pronounced pain in the throat. Sometimes it is accompanied by conjunctivitis.
Signs in children
The above symptoms may become more complicated:
- Regular digestive problems.
- Cramps in the abdomen and intestines.
- Confusion.
- Partial loss of coordination.
- Even fainting conditions are possible.
It can be very difficult to independently determine the source of pain in a small patient, so at the first suspicion of a purulent sore throat, you should urgently seek medical help.
In childhood, purulent pathology develops rapidly; its main danger is that the baby may suffocate due to swelling of the throat.
External manifestations of the disease
When the disease occurs, the surface of the tonsils becomes bright red. Their size does not increase with all types of infection.
Viral tonsillitis, not complicated by bacterial manifestations, is characterized by redness of the tonsils. At the same time, there is no plaque on them.
In the bacterial form, a white coating is present against the background of enlarged tonsils.
With follicular sore throat, a small dotted white coating is observed.
Lacunar tonsillitis occurs in a more acute form. A large amount of white plaque accumulates on the tonsils. It is located over the entire surface.
If diphtheria tonsillitis is diagnosed, the plaque has a yellowish-gray tint. There is a high temperature and severe weakness.
In acute tonsillitis, the submandibular lymph nodes become enlarged. When you press on them there is pain.
Folk remedies
Earlier it was said about how angina manifests itself and how it can be treated. Finally, a few words about the effectiveness and efficiency of folk remedies, also used in eliminating this ailment. Here's what is commonly used:
There are many other famous recipes. It is important to know that if you have a sore throat, it is useful to chew propolis regularly, drink milk with honey and butter, as well as other warm vitamin drinks.
Source: fb.ru
The need for timely treatment
When deciding how to determine a sore throat in an adult, it is necessary to take into account that if pain when swallowing is accompanied by swelling of the neck and difficulty turning it, you should immediately consult a medical specialist.
Such signs can be observed with paratonsillar abscess, which is a purulent complication of tonsillitis.
Diphtheria differs from the course of viral and bacterial diseases in a more acute form of the course.
Body temperature can reach very high values. The entire surface of the tonsils is covered with a grayish-yellow coating.
Sometimes there is difficulty breathing. To prevent such complications, it is necessary to carry out timely treatment under the supervision of a doctor.
Otherwise, the disease may become chronic. With chronic tonsillitis, body temperature rises only during the acute stage.
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To treat the disease, fairly complex and lengthy treatment procedures are required. First of all, a smear is taken from the surface of the tonsils and general tests are performed.
Based on research, therapeutic therapy is prescribed.
Consequences and complications
Lack of treatment can cause serious complications. They can be local or general in nature.
Common complications include:
- Rheumatism. Characterized by the spread of inflammation in the joints and heart muscle.
- Myocarditis. It causes the formation of blood clots in the vessels of the heart.
- Endocarditis. The pathological process also affects the inner lining of the heart. It can occur independently or be a consequence of rheumatism.
- Pericarditis. Inflammation affects the pericardial sac and the outer lining of the heart muscle.
- Pyelonephritis. Refers to kidney diseases. The reason is the high content of protein compounds in the blood of a patient with angina.
- Sepsis. It is considered one of the most serious and dangerous consequences of the disease. In this case, a purulent infection spreads along with the blood throughout the body.
Local complications include:
- Phlegmonous inflammation. The pathological process develops in muscles and tendons.
- Abscess formation. It is characterized by the appearance of several purulent formations inside the tonsils. Surgery is prescribed for treatment.
- Damage to the eardrums or middle ear. Refers to manifestations of acute otitis media. Lack of therapy causes hearing loss and the formation of adhesions.
- Swelling of the larynx. Causes difficulty breathing. The consequences can be suffocation and death.
- Bleeding tonsils. It is a complication of the purulent-necrotic form, in which the ulcer penetrates into the deep layers of tissue and damages blood vessels.
The danger of purulent sore throat lies in its consequences. That is why, when the first signs of the disease appear, you must immediately contact a specialist.
Diagnosis of the disease
If a person complains of a sore throat, high fever and swollen tonsils, an otolaryngologist examines the patient.
At the initial visit, he makes a diagnosis based on the patient’s complaints and the presence of external manifestations of a particular disease.
As a rule, diagnosing tonsillitis is not particularly difficult. The type of specific infectious agent is determined based on the results of laboratory tests.
Using the differential research method, a scheme is drawn up according to which treatment will be carried out.
If there is a viral infection, taking antibiotics will not lead to the expected result.
When drawing up a treatment plan, the otolaryngologist takes into account:
- Type of infectious disease;
- Type of specific pathogen;
- How does the disease progress?
- What stage is the disease at?
- How old is the patient?
- What state is the immune system in?
Prevention
To avoid getting a sore throat, you need to constantly strengthen your immune system, eat right, walk a lot in the fresh air and do exercises. Cold water douches are suitable for hardening, but in urban conditions they can be replaced with a contrast shower. To prevent tonsillitis, it is necessary to carry out wet cleaning in the living room, and also after coming from the street to wash your hands with soap and rinse your nose.
If an epidemic has started in the city, then you need to minimize contact with people. If you have to use public transport, then when traveling you need to wear gloves and not touch your face with your hands on the street.
How to treat tonsillitis
Treatment of tonsillitis should be carried out under the supervision of a medical specialist.
For any type of disease it is necessary:
- Spending more time in bed;
- Avoid eating cold foods;
- Products should not irritate the surface of the mucous membrane;
- Drink as much warm liquid as possible;
- The diet should include a sufficient amount of vitamins.
If the cause of the disease is a bacterial infection, it is treated with antibiotics. The most effective drugs are those belonging to the penicillin series.
They not only promote rapid recovery, but also have the least side effects on the body.
Three days after taking antibacterial agents, there should be a noticeable improvement in the patient’s condition.
If after taking the drug allergic reactions occur or there is no improvement, antibacterial agents with a wide spectrum of effects are prescribed.
Fungal infections are treated with antifungal medications.
Often this disease occurs after a person has taken antibiotics for a long time.
Therefore, their admission must be canceled. In parallel with the main treatment, you should undergo a course of vitamin therapy.
Complex therapeutic therapy includes rinsing procedures. They help relieve the inflammatory process well.
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To prepare medicinal solutions, you can use medicinal plants or medications. You can relieve pain using a salt composition.
Description
Sore throat (acute tonsillitis) is an acute infectious-allergic disease manifested by acute local inflammation of the tonsils.
Sore throat of other tonsils is rare, therefore in medical practice, sore throat is usually called acute inflammation of the palatine tonsils. In addition, there are lingual, laryngeal, and retronasal tonsillitis.
The term “angina” comes from the Latin word “ango”, which means to squeeze or strangle. This meaning does not quite correspond to the symptoms of sore throat, since this disease is not accompanied by attacks of suffocation, but nevertheless this term is widespread among the population.
The disease is quite common, second only to ARVI, and occurs both among adults (4-5% of cases) and among children (more than 6%).
In most cases, sore throat is caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Most often, the tonsils are affected by streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus, less often by pneumococcus and Haemophilus influenzae. Of the viruses, sore throat can be caused by enteroviruses, adenoviruses, herpes virus, and Epstein-Barr virus. Rarely, but still there are cases of infection by mycoplasmas, chlamydia, and fungi.
In most cases, in children under 3 years of age, sore throat is associated with viral pathogens; after 5 years of age, bacterial infection predominates.
There are the following main forms of sore throats:
- Episodic - occurs as a result of a decrease in the protective properties of the body under the influence of provoking factors (mainly as a result of local and general hypothermia);
- Epidemic – occurs as a result of infection from a sick person;
- As an exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis.
Most often, infection occurs by airborne droplets, but there is also a contact and household transmission route, which occurs if there is contact with the patient’s personal belongings.
For the development of the disease, exposure to harmful microorganisms alone is not enough; the presence of factors that contribute to weakening the protective properties of the tonsils is necessary. These factors include:
- local and general hypothermia;
- tendency to allergic reactions;
- exposure to various chemical and thermal factors on the mucous membrane of the oropharynx;
- immunodeficiencies of any origin;
- smoking, alcohol abuse;
- mechanical damage to the mucous membrane of the pharynx and tonsils;
- the presence of chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
In most cases, it is not possible to identify one factor; most often, several predisposing conditions are involved in the development of angina.
The following classification is distinguished:
- catarrhal form;
- follicular form;
- lacunar form;
- herpetic sore throat;
- phlegmonous tonsillitis (intratonsillar abscess);
- ulcerative-necrotic.
Preventive actions
Preventive measures should be carried out not only before the disease, but also when it has already occurred.
This is necessary in order to reduce the likelihood of dangerous complications. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the oral cavity and eliminate emerging foci of infection.
Tonsillitis is an infectious disease. The patient should have separate dishes and a towel. It is advisable that it be in a separate room.
The room must be constantly ventilated. It requires wet cleaning.
Diet
Dietary instructions require the use of foods that do not irritate the oral mucosa.
Avoid the use of anything hot, spicy, or anything that can cause allergic reactions to the oral mucosa.
It is also recommended to follow some simple dietary guidelines:
- porridge with milk is consumed, its consistency reminiscent of jelly;
- pureed fruits and purees;
- only white bread;
- Small pasta is best eaten;
- It is also important to consume dietary fish varieties, in particular pollock, cod and bream.
It is best to coordinate your diet with your doctor.
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