Young children, due to immature immunity, are prone to colds. ARVI often provokes a sore throat in a child. It should be noted that the correct name for this disease is acute tonsillitis, or inflammation of the tonsils. The main cause of the disease is an infection that has entered the body. The doctor Komarovsky proposes not to start treating tonsillitis with antibiotics, but first to understand: is this an acute form of the disease or chronic.
What is tonsillitis?
This is an inflammatory process in the tonsils. It proceeds in acute, in the people it is often called a sore throat, or chronic form. Both species have both similarities and differences. Therefore, their treatment is not the same. Angina always begins with a sharp rise in temperature, the child complains of a sharp sore throat. On examination, there is swelling of the tonsils and a white coating on them. The doctor Komarovsky, tonsillitis in children recommends starting treatment immediately after the onset of his first symptoms. And for this, he advises parents to be attentive to the complaints of the child.
The treatment of acute tonsillitis that was started or not completed at the right time passes into a chronic form, which has similar symptoms, but the disease proceeds calmly and measuredly. An advanced disease sometimes gives serious complications. It is noted that children under three years of age cannot have a sore throat, since the final formation of the tonsils will be completed only by this period. And also the probability of getting sick after fifteen years is sharply reduced, adult individuals rarely suffer from angina.
Causes of acute tonsillitis
The following pathogens are capable of causing an ailment:
- viruses - Coxsackie, adenovirus, Epstein-Barr, herpes;
- bacteria - staphylococci, streptococci and pneumococci;
- fungi, mycoplasmas and chlamydia.
Sometimes a non-angina form occurs in children, which develops against the background of sinusitis, acute respiratory viral infections, caries, and stomatitis. Frequent morbidity, according to Dr. Komarovsky, tonsillitis in children is associated with the anatomical features of the structure of the pharynx apparatus. They have deep and narrow depressions of the tonsils, many slit-like passages, adhesions - all this makes it difficult to empty the gaps. In addition, sore throat often affects children with impaired nasal breathing, chronic inflammatory processes and a weakened immune system.
Symptoms of a sore throat
The main signs of acute tonsillitis are:
- a sharp rise in body temperature to 40 degrees;
- inflamed glands with a white or yellowish coating;
- pain when swallowing;
- ear pain;
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- bad breath;
- general malaise and weakness,
- headache;
- body aches.
Often with a sore throat, a child develops a runny nose and cough. In such cases, the doctor warns parents Komarovsky, tonsillitis may not be. It's just that the baby has a viral disease, and you do not need to immediately treat it with antibiotics until a final diagnosis is established.
Treatment of tonsillitis in children
Before starting treatment, the physician must identify the form of the disease. If the diagnosis of acute tonsillitis is of bacterial origin, then antibiotics are indicated. Rinses, sucking tablets and sprays will only alleviate the symptoms of swallowing, but they are not able to cure the disease. Most often, Penicillin and local remedies are prescribed for therapy to eliminate the symptoms of the disease. According to Dr. Komarovsky, treatment of tonsillitis with strong antibiotics makes sense only in the serious condition of a small patient, when the clinic is pronounced, it is difficult for a child to open his mouth, eat, and also drink. Vitamin complexes, an intravenous glucose solution, plentiful drink and sparing nutrition are prescribed as strengthening medicines. During a period of high body temperature and fever, bed rest is indicated. Improvement of the patient's condition occurs two to three days after the start of taking antibacterial agents.
How to distinguish a sore throat from SARS?
In addition to the fact that angina begins with a sharp rise in temperature, the child experiences severe sore throat. Therefore, if you give the baby an apple, he will refuse to eat it because of severe pain. Komarov’s treatment of acute tonsillitis does not start immediately, but after 2-3 days, since during this time the immune system fights with the ailment, and you will have time to observe the development of symptoms.
In an acute viral infection in a child, in addition to the red throat, a runny nose and coughing, caused by sore throat, immediately appear. Therefore, you can not treat a child with antibiotics. In both cases, before the arrival of the physician, it is necessary to give the baby a warm drink.
Causes of Chronic Tonsillitis
This ailment is characterized by a prolonged inflammatory process in the tonsils. In the normal state, the glands perform a protective function and detain pathogenic microorganisms on their surface, which the body subsequently destroys. As Komarovsky notes, chronic tonsillitis in a child is a consequence of a decrease in immunity, when viruses, bacteria or fungi accumulate in large quantities on the tonsils and begin to multiply rapidly. It is impossible to stop this process in a natural way, a chronic pathology occurs. Affected tonsils begin to multiply pathogenic microorganisms and infect the body. As a result, they provoke rheumatism, infectious myocarditis, pathologies of the kidneys and other organs.
Symptoms of chronic tonsillitis
The most striking signs of the disease are sore throat when swallowing and a number of the following symptoms:
- Enlargement and thickening of the palatine arches. They can maintain this state in remission when the throat does not hurt.
- The appearance of adhesions between the glands and palatine arches.
- Clear palpation on palpation of regional lymph nodes.
- Intoxication of the body, expressing headache, rapid fatigue.
- The appearance of white plaque and purulent plugs on the tonsils.
- The recovery period after viral and bacterial infections becomes longer.
- Persistent halitosis.
- Shortness of breath and a disturbance in the rhythm of the heart are observed.
Most of the symptoms of the chronic form of the disease become noticeable only with an exacerbation of the disease, so it is easy to confuse it with angina. Most often, viruses cause an exacerbation, and the first thing is a runny nose and coughing. After this, the activation and multiplication of bacteria that are constantly present in the body with a chronic form of the disease occurs, causing inflammation of the tonsils.
Treatment of chronic tonsillitis according to Komarovsky
Millions of people live with this disease; in itself, it is not terrible. During remission, the tonsils are enlarged, but at the same time they have the same color as the entire oral mucosa, and do not interfere with swallowing and breathing. This condition does not require medical intervention. But in case of exacerbation, most often against the background of viral infections, the disease requires medical treatment, and for this, a doctor’s consultation is necessary. Exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis sometimes does not require bacterial treatment, the following procedures are simply performed:
- rinse with soda solution;
- constant warm drinking of plain water or with the addition of lemon, honey, raspberries;
- the use of local antibacterial agents in the form of sprays and aerosols;
- washing tonsils.
But "Lugol" for the treatment of chronic tonsillitis in a child Komarovsky does not recommend using. Its use is not only not beneficial, but harmful. From the surface of the tonsils, iodine is absorbed into the blood and can disrupt the thyroid gland.
Surgery
When all conservative methods of treating the chronic form of pathology have been tried, and the tonsils have become a breeding ground for bacteria, many parents believe that they need to be removed. Until recently, this procedure was widely practiced. Now such operations are much less common. Removal of the tonsils adversely affects the immunity of the child, especially until the age of five. After the operation, inflammatory processes are again possible in the remnants of lymphoid tissue. Sometimes removal of tonsils leads to a metabolic failure. However, in some cases, surgery is indispensable. According to the famous pediatrician Komarovsky, surgical treatment of tonsillitis in children is justified only for the following indications:
- serious consequences appeared;
- frequent relapses of tonsillitis - more than five times a year;
- snoring during sleep;
- there was a strong increase in the glands, which interfere with breathing and eating;
- continuous conservative treatment does not bring relief.
In many health facilities, gentle surgical procedures are performed. Sometimes tonsils are partially removed or they are exposed to ultra-high or, conversely, ultra-low temperatures. The need for surgical intervention is decided by the doctor together with the parents of the child.
Treatment of a chronic form of the disease with ice cream
Frequent enlargement of tonsils and inflammatory processes in them with the formation of purulent plugs in chronic tonsillitis Komarovsky proposes to treat using ice cream. In the absence of exacerbation, it is better to start this in the summer, take three teaspoons of ice cream from a freezer three times a day. Putting it in your mouth, you need to count to ten and only then swallow. The procedure is continued for three days.
Then increase the dose of ice cream to two tablespoons. And then every three days, increase the intake of sweet medicine by one teaspoon. Ice cream can be replaced by resorption of ice cubes from fruit juice or yogurt, immediately removed from the refrigerator. A short exposure to cold on the tonsils causes an activation of the immune system, and the disease gradually begins to recede.
Doctor Komarovsky's advice on the treatment of tonsillitis
A pediatrician often advises parents and gives the following tips when treating a sore throat:
- Can I do without antibiotics? If severe sore throat occurs during swallowing, fever appears, lymph nodes increase, tonsils swell, redden and plaque forms, then, probably, the child has tonsillitis caused by streptococci. Treatment is with antibiotics. But parents often take this disease for viral pharyngitis and often treat it on their own without calling a doctor. Incorrect therapy leads to serious complications. The final diagnosis is made only after the analysis.
- When is analysis not needed? With a whole complex of symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections - cough, severe cold, hoarseness, elevated temperature - analysis for streptococcus is not carried out. Also, the examination is not done for children under the age of three; tonsillitis is not found in them. Viral disease disappears after a few days, the condition returns to normal.
For sore throats in the absence of a runny nose, you must definitely seek medical help. Sprays and folk remedies in this case will not help, an antibacterial agent is needed.
Preventive actions
In order for the child to suffer less from sore throats and less relapse, parents need to strengthen their immunity. Komarovsky connects the treatment of chronic tonsillitis with the production of saliva and believes that it is the best medicine. To do this, he recommends:
- Perform a complete sanitation of the oral cavity.
- Follow the drinking regime - the child must constantly drink warm drinks.
- To establish a microclimate in the apartment - to carry out frequent airing, humidify the air, remove all things that accumulate dust.
- Constant walks in the fresh air.
- Do not be afraid to treat your child with ice cream and cold drinks from the refrigerator.
- Do not use household chemicals containing chlorine.
- Every day, even during illness, the child should take water procedures before bedtime.
If you follow all these recommendations, this will give a result: the baby will strengthen local immunity, cease to dry out saliva, and this will greatly facilitate his condition.
Conclusion
According to Komarovsky, tonsillitis in children can be avoided. To this end, he recommends: allow the child to drink juice and water from the refrigerator, eat ice cream. These cold foods harden tonsils, the baby stops suffering from their inflammation. Children who eat warm food all the time are much more likely to get colds and, as a result, chronic tonsillitis. During mass epidemics of acute respiratory viral infections and influenza, toddlers, if possible, should be protected from visiting crowded places and public transport. But you must do daily walks in the fresh air.