Acute Pharyngitis - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Acute pharyngitis

Acute pharyngitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat of an acute course. Acute pharyngitis can act as an independent pathology, or be a consequence of other diseases.

As an independent disease, pharyngitis develops with the direct effect of the causative agent of the infection on the mucous membrane of the throat, or when it is exposed to external and internal stimuli (lack of the possibility of nasal breathing, alcohol intake, smoking, etc.). As for the fact of the development of acute pharyngitis, as a secondary disease, inflammation often manifests itself against the background of disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract, with respiratory tract infections, etc. It is extremely rare that acute pharyngitis occurs in isolation. As a rule, the parts that are in contact with the pharynx (nasal sinuses, larynx, trachea) are included in the inflammation process.

Content:

• Causes of acute pharyngitis
• Symptoms of acute pharyngitis
• Diagnostics of the acute pharyngitis
• Treatment of acute pharyngitis

Causes of acute pharyngitis

The causes of acute pharyngitis are varied, among them:

• Viral infection. It is viruses in 70% of cases that cause inflammation of the throat mucosa. Rhinoviruses, influenza viruses, adenovirus, enteroviruses, coronaviruses, parainfluenza virus, etc. are of etiological significance.
• Bacterial infection. Various bacteria provoke the development of acute pharyngitis in 30% of cases. These are pathogenic microorganisms such as Haemophilus influenzae, streptococci, diplococci, gonococci, chlamydia, mycoplasma, etc.
• Fungal microorganisms. As a rule, in order for acute pharyngomycosis to develop, it is necessary to influence the factors provoking the disease, the environment of which is treatment with glucocorticoids, long-term use of antibacterial drugs, diabetes mellitus, and immunodeficiency states.

• Irritant effect of allergens on the throat mucosa. Allergens can be present both in the inhaled air and enter the body with food and medicines. If it is not possible to identify components that irritate the mucous membrane, then gradually the acute phase of pharyngitis will turn into a chronic one.
• Acute pharyngitis can develop against the background of an injury to the throat. These include chemical burns with acetic and other acids, alkalis, alcohols, thermal burns with steam or boiling water, as well as mechanical injuries. The latter can be obtained as a result of a foreign body entering the pharynx, when injured, during surgical interventions.

Separately, it should be noted that in order for a person to develop acute bacterial or viral pharyngitis, it is necessary not only to be infected by the infection itself, but also to drop the local immune defense.

Therefore, additional risk factors that predispose to the formation of acute inflammation are:

• Adherence to various diets that lead to metabolic disorders, to depletion of the body.
• Hypothermia of the body. Both local and general hypothermia matter.
• Taking drugs that suppress the immune system.
• Severe chronic diseases.
• Increased concentration of dust, gases, smoke and other irritating substances in the air. Often the impact of this factor is explained by occupational hazards.
• Alcohol abuse, smoking.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, gastroesophageal reflux, hiatal hernia, gastritis.
• Chronic inflammation in the nasal cavity, in the paranasal sinuses, in the nasopharynx.
• Dysbacteriosis.

Symptoms of acute pharyngitis

Symptoms of acute pharyngitis develop against the background of pathomorphological changes in the mucous membrane of the throat. So, it becomes edematous, the vessels are dilated and injected, the epithelium of the throat is the process of desquamation (desquamation of scales). The auditory tubes are often involved in the pathological process.

The reaction of inflammation of the mucous membrane is especially pronounced in those places of the throat where there is an accumulation of lymphoid tissue - this is the back wall, lateral ridges. In acute pharyngitis, as well as in the chronic form of the disease, granules can form, represented by inflamed and swollen follicles in the back of the throat. The objective symptoms of acute pharyngitis are:

• The appearance of a burning sensation, perspiration, dryness and soreness in the throat.
• Hoarseness of voice.
• Ears congestion.
• Feeling of a foreign body in the throat.
• Increased pain in the throat when swallowing, their irradiation into the ear.

• Body temperature most often remains normal, although sometimes it can rise to subfebrile levels. If the inflammation is severe, the mark on the thermometer will reach 38 ° C and above. At the same time, signs of general intoxication of the body join with weakness, fatigue, muscle pain, etc.
• Perhaps an increase in regional lymph nodes, the appearance of headaches.
• It causes painful sensations of an empty sip, which a person takes to swallow saliva. In this case, the intensity of pain will be higher than during meals.
• A mucopurulent secretion flowing down the back of the throat makes the patient cough. In order to get rid of phlegm, the patient will constantly cough, trying to get rid of the thick secretion. Cough is especially strong in the morning hours or during a long conversation.

Diagnostics of the acute pharyngitis

Diagnosis of acute pharyngitis for a specialist is not difficult. The diagnosis is made based on the patient's complaints, after his examination.

With pharyngoscopy, the doctor visualizes the hyperemic mucous membrane of the throat, its swelling. In some places, mucopurulent plaque accumulates. The tonsils, palatine arches, orifices of the auditory tubes are often inflamed.

It is important to carry out differential diagnosis with catarrhal sore throat, diphtheria and other infections of the respiratory tract, since they give similar symptoms.

To clarify the diagnosis and to determine the type of pharyngitis causative agent, in some cases, a smear is required from the back of the throat. The smear is sent for microbioscopic examination.

Treatment of acute pharyngitis

Treatment of acute pharyngitis, which has a mild course, can be limited to symptomatic therapy. This includes a gentle diet, taking hot foot baths, applying warming compresses to the neck, steam inhalation, inhalation with a nebulizer, rinsing the throat with antiseptic solutions and irrigating it with special medicinal compounds.

During treatment, it is important to minimize all factors that irritate the throat mucosa. To do this, first of all, you need to quit smoking. If the disease is not bacterial in nature, then antibiotics are not advisable. Systemic administration of antibacterial drugs is required in the complicated course of acute pharyngitis. In all other cases, local antimicrobial therapy can be limited.

Antimicrobial agents are prescribed in the form of rinses, inhalations, and lozenges.

When choosing a drug, it is important to consider the following points:

• The tool should have a wide spectrum of action and fight not only bacteria, but also viruses.
• The drug should not have a toxic effect on the body.
• The absorption of the drug from the mucous membrane of the throat should be slow.
• The selected agent should not have an irritating effect on the mucous membrane.

To treat mild strep throat, you can use pill form antiseptics. These can be drugs Hexaliz, Faringosept, Septolete, Strepsils, etc. However, it is worth remembering that lozenges and lozenges for resorption have weak antibacterial activity, which requires an integrated approach to treatment. In addition, their intake cannot be uncontrolled, since the active ingredients of such tablets are drugs and can be harmful to health. This is especially true for pediatric patients.

Iodine preparations should be used with caution, as they are highly allergenic and can strongly irritate the mucous membranes. This applies to drugs such as: Povidone-iodine, Vokadin, Iodinol, etc. The same rule applies to drugs with propolis - Proposol and sulfonamides - Ingalipt, Bikarmint.

Also, for local treatment, you can use the drug Imudon, which contains lysates of 10 bacteria and two mycotic microorganisms. Getting on the mucous membrane of the throat, the drug activates phagocytosis, increases the number of immune complexes, which allows the body to actively fight inflammation. Imudon can be included in the scheme of complex treatment of pharyngitis using systemic and local antibiotics. It has been proven to promote a speedy recovery.

In the form of a solution for rinsing the throat and in the form of an aerosol for topical application, the drug Hexoral can be used. It is non-toxic and highly active against most bacteria that cause pharyngitis. In addition, irrigation of the throat with Hexoral helps to relieve pain due to the analgesic included in its composition.

Octenisept has the widest spectrum of action against not only most gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, but also against mycoplasma, chlamydia, fungi and viruses. However, it is used mainly in medical institutions, since there are no convenient forms of release of this agent for independent use.

The complex therapy of acute pharyngitis can include antihistamines (Suprastin, Diazolin, Zirtek, Zodak, etc.) that well relieve swelling from the mucous membrane. To increase the body's resistance to other infections, the patient is prescribed immunocorrecting drugs - these are IRS-19, Tonsilgon, Imudon and others.

If the body temperature rises, there is a risk of descending infection or other complications, and the inflammation itself is severe, then systemic antibiotics are recommended. The drugs of choice are the drugs of the penicillin group, in particular Phenoxymethylpenicillin. It is this drug that has the maximum activity against group A streptococci, which provoke rheumatic heart disease.

As for food, it is important to give up spicy, pickled and salty foods. Food and drinks should only be consumed warm, making sure they are not too hot or too cold.

It is advisable to adhere to bed rest during an exacerbation of the disease and minimize contact with people around. This will shorten the recovery time and prevent the transition of the disease to a chronic form.

The author of the article: Lazarev Oleg Vladimirovich | ENT

Education: In 2009, he received a diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" at the Petrozavodsk State University. After completing an internship at the Murmansk Regional Clinical Hospital, he received a diploma in Otorhinolaryngology (2010)