2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49
Allergic pharyngitis
Allergic pharyngitis is an inflammation of the lining of the throat caused by allergens. The disease is a widespread pathology of the upper respiratory tract and rarely occurs in isolation - it is usually combined with allergic rhinitis. The disease is persistent and difficult to treat. Most often, young people suffer from allergic pharyngitis, the disease worsens their quality of life and reduces their ability to work.
Content:
- Causes of allergic pharyngitis
- Allergic pharyngitis symptoms
- Diagnosis of allergic pharyngitis
- Allergic pharyngitis treatment
Causes of allergic pharyngitis
The causes of allergic pharyngitis are diverse, therefore the disease belongs to polyetiological pathologies. The connection between inflammation of the throat mucosa and suppression of local and systemic immunity has been clearly established. Naturally, in order for an allergic reaction to start, contact with the allergen is necessary.
The most common pathogenic agents that provoke pharyngitis are:
- Book and house dust containing dust mites;
- Allergens present in plant pollen;
- Animal hair, particles of their epidermis, saliva and dandruff;
- Insects;
- Yeasts and molds;
- Allergens from food and drugs.
Symptoms of allergic pharyngitis can arise and intensify when inhaling strong odors, for example, perfume, exhaust gases, tobacco smoke, etc. If the allergy is seasonal, the pharyngitis will worsen during the period when the allergen plant blooms. Weather conditions affect the severity of the symptoms of the disease, so they will be stronger during the wind, when outside the city.
If a person has allergic pharyngitis as a reaction to mold and yeast fungi, then it will worsen in autumn and spring. It was at this time that fungal spores are most active if they live in central Russia.
Factors provocateurs of allergic pharyngitis can be distinguished as follows:
- Changes in the composition of the microflora of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract in general and the throat in particular. Inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx, provoked by viral and bacterial agents, play a special role in this regard;
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- Disturbances in the functioning of cellular and humoral immunity;
- Cardiovascular diseases;
- Kidney disease;
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine;
- Allergization of the body as a whole;
- Living in areas with an unfavorable environmental situation;
- The transmission of a predisposition to allergic reactions by inheritance.
Allergic pharyngitis symptoms
The symptoms of allergic pharyngitis are as follows:
- Sore throat;
- Feeling of the presence of a foreign body in the throat;
- Sore throat;
- Paroxysmal cough;
- The presence of viscous thick mucus in the throat;
- Redness and swelling of the back of the throat;
- Occasional nasal congestion, nasal breathing disorder;
- Profuse flow of mucus from the nose;
- Sneezing attacks;
- Itching in the eyes, throat, nose;
- A combination of exacerbation of the disease with conjunctivitis is possible. At the same time, the eyes turn red, itch, lacrimation increases;
- A person's sleep is disturbed, headaches, weakness appear, irritability increases.
Allergic pharyngitis rarely occurs in isolation, most often the nasal mucosa is involved in the pathological process. This condition is called "allergic rhinopharyngitis".
The severity of the course of the disease is influenced by the individual sensitivity of the organism to various allergens, general health, exogenous factors (living in areas that are unfavorable from an ecologically point of view, work at hazardous enterprises).
The danger of allergic inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat is that it can lead to the development of chronic foci of infection with sinusitis, polyposis, otitis media, tonsillitis, etc.
Diagnosis of allergic pharyngitis
Diagnosis of allergic pharyngitis is carried out with the obligatory participation of not only an otolaryngologist, but also an allergist. Anamnesis and clinical picture of the disease are carefully collected and analyzed. Pharyngoscopy is performed, during which the specialist visualizes the edematous, hyperemic posterior wall of the throat, viscous, sometimes foamy mucus.
To clarify the type of allergen that causes a pathological reaction, skin tests are carried out, which reveal the patient's hypersensitivity to one or another agent. Determination of the level of allergen-specific IgE in blood serum is also indicative. For this, there are allergosorbent tests - RAST and radioimmunosorbent tests - PRIST.
Allergic pharyngitis treatment
Treatment of allergic pharyngitis is reduced mainly to conservative therapy:
- Termination of contact with the allergen;
- Medication correction;
- Specific allergen immunotherapy.
After the allergen is identified, it is necessary to limit contact with it as much as possible. It should be borne in mind that even the maximum isolation of the allergen will give a positive result only after a few months. Nevertheless, it is not always possible to completely limit the patient's contact with the pathogenic agent, therefore it is necessary to intensify drug therapy.
Allergen-specific immunotherapy is a modern method of treatment of allergic pharyngitis. It boils down to treating the patient with increasing doses of the allergen, which is most often injected subcutaneously.
This procedure is carried out only by an allergist in a specialized office and according to the following indications:
- Ineffectiveness of drug correction;
- Refusal of the patient to take medications;
- Negative effects of drug treatment;
- A clear definition of the allergen and the achievement of a stable remission of the disease.
Allergic pharyngitis medications
As for the drug correction, it involves the use of antihistamines, corticosteroids, cromones (stabilizers of mast cell membranes), vasoconstrictor drugs, anticholinergics.
Experts prefer second-generation antihistamines - Akrivastin, Loratadin, Terfenadine, Cetirizine, Levocetirizine. They have a pronounced effect, well eliminate the symptoms of allergic pharyngitis and are safer in terms of the development of side effects than when using first generation antihistamines (Clemastine, Promethazine, Hydroxyzine, etc.).
Cromones such as Ketotifen and nedocromil sodium are used to prevent allergic pharyngitis. The effect of taking them comes slowly, after 7-14 days. However, the undoubted advantage of mast cell membrane stabilizers is their safety. This allows the use of cromones in the treatment of pregnant women and children.
Vasoconstrictor drugs are used only if the patient has allergic rhinitis. These can be drugs such as Oxymetazoline, Phenylephrine, Epinephrine, etc. Do not exceed the recommended dosage and use these drugs for more than 7 days in a row, as they contribute to the development of addiction and additionally irritate the throat mucosa.
A prerequisite is the regular flushing of mucus and allergens that have settled on the respiratory tract. For this, decoctions of medicinal herbs are used (if they are not allergic), Miramistin, Furacilin solution, soda solution, sea water (Aqua Lor, Aqua Maris), isotonic solution, etc.
The presence of an antiseptic or antibacterial component in the gargle can reduce the severity of inflammation, and is also the prevention of bacterial complications.
As for the intake of glucocorticosteroids, they are used in the form of inhalation in the development of bronchial asthma against the background of allergic inflammation. Self-administration of such medicines is unacceptable.
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)
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