Inflammatory processes in the larynx arise as a result of the development of viral infections or against the background of an acute allergy. In some cases, a similar reaction of the body can be caused by an exacerbation of a chronic disease, which previously was asymptomatic. Knowledge that relieves swelling of the throat can help provide first aid to the patient, and in some cases, save his life.
Varieties of edematous processes in the larynx
The presence of a pathological process in the throat leads to a significant increase in the mucosa, as a result of which the lumen of the respiratory tract is greatly narrowed. Doctors call such changes in the body stenosis. If the patient is not provided with qualified assistance on time, the width of the airway can become critical. First, the body begins to experience a lack of oxygen, and then suffocation occurs.
In such situations, it is important not only to know what relieves swelling of the throat, but also to be able to correctly determine the cause of the stenotic process. There may be several:
- allergy;
- viral infection;
- mechanical or thermal effects on the mucosa;
- intoxication with toxic substances;
- chronic kidney disease;
- oncology.
Most often, laryngeal edema is observed in pediatric patients. It appears as a result of a viral infection and disappears as recovery occurs. However, if stenosis appears for another reason, you need to act immediately. In such situations, it is important not only to know how to relieve throat edema in a child or an adult, but also to be able to correctly recognize the ailment.
How to diagnose throat edema yourself?
Pending the arrival of medical workers, you can independently take measures to improve the patient's condition, but this should only be done if you are sure that you have encountered stenosis.
The presence of edematous processes in the larynx will be indicated by:
- severe pain during meals;
- difficulty speaking;
- hoarse voice;
- dry and frequent cough;
- an increase in body temperature (in cases where intoxication of the body is observed);
- intermittent breathing;
- sensation in the throat of a foreign object.
The presence of these symptoms indicates that the patient has acute inflammation of the larynx. If it is a child, an ambulance team should be called immediately. It is also worth paying attention to the presence of wheezing during breathing: if they are present, you can not delay!
In such situations, you should not think about how to relieve swelling of the throat at home, but rather focus on providing first aid. This includes a number of simple steps:
- Calming and distracting the patient, as excessive excitement can increase swelling.
- Give the patient the simplest anti-allergic agent.
- Try to increase the humidity level in the room.
- Prepare an alkaline throat rinse. You can also do inhalation. Such actions will help calm the cough and reduce pain.
- Rub your feet with alcohol. Such therapy does not have a direct effect on the larynx, but is considered a good distracting procedure.
If the patient has shortness of breath, rapid pulse, pallor of the skin and panic attacks are present, he needs urgent hospitalization. In such situations, you should not think about how to relieve throat edema at home.
The clinical picture for various causes of laryngeal inflammation
Most often, stenosis is caused by acute laryngitis. In this case, swelling is observed in anticipation of the larynx. The causative agents of the disease are streptococci that produce toxins.
Edematous laryngitis is more common in debilitated patients. It can also be a complication of certain infectious diseases, such as flu or scarlet fever.
With adequate treatment, edema passes on its own, so patients should not think about how to remove swelling of the throat with laryngitis. Regular foot baths, regular rinses with soda solution and antiviral medications will help improve the general condition.
The most dangerous is allergic stenosis. It develops in minutes and can be fatal. Provoke laryngeal edema can:
- Food;
- medications;
- household dust;
- animal hair.
If it is not possible to determine the cause of the edema, and the patient's condition worsens with every minute, you should immediately give him an anti-allergic drug.
Another cause of laryngeal edema is tonsillitis. Pathology is manifested in cases where the patient suffered an acute sore throat and did not receive proper treatment. The result is a complication of tonsillitis. You can recognize the ailment by enlarged palatine tonsils, an unpleasant odor from the oral cavity, and the presence of purulent plugs. Sometimes a whitish coating is noticeable in the throat, ulcers may appear.
How to relieve swelling of the throat with angina with complications? Most often, doctors prescribe local antiseptic drugs. If we are talking about a severe form of tonsillitis, then it is justified to take antibiotics with a wide spectrum of action. Be sure to supplement the therapy with regular rinses and a warm drink.
Diagnosis of the disease
To determine the correct treatment for a pathology, it is necessary to quickly identify the cause of its occurrence. Diagnosis of stenosis is primarily based on a thorough examination of the patient, determining the likelihood of an allergic reaction.
Using special tools, a medical professional examines the larynx. In addition, the patient may be assigned a survey in the form of a direct (or non-direct) laryngoscopy. In some cases, a biopsy is required.
To understand how to relieve swelling of the throat in an adult or a child, the doctor can send the patient for x-ray and tomography. Endoscopy and bronchoscopy are often required to determine the extent of stenosis. If the cause of the pathology cannot be found, patients are advised to check the internal organs, the cardiovascular system.
Home treatment
If the disease is taken by surprise, you can provide first aid to your body yourself. Remember that immediately started treatment allows you to overcome the disease much faster. Lack of timely action to improve the condition can lead to suffocation.
So, what relieves swelling of the throat, and what measures can save the life of the patient? If a person complains of asthma attacks, they take him to fresh air or ventilate the room well. The throat should be freed from tight collars, scarves and other squeezing clothes.
Further assistance is provided according to the following principle:
- If the likelihood of allergy is high, the patient is given antihistamines. Before the arrival of doctors, you can take "Suprastin" or "Diazolin."
- In especially severe situations, Prednisolone and Dexamethasone are used, but they should be prescribed by a doctor.
- In order to reduce swelling in the nose, vasoconstrictor drugs should be instilled. These include: Nazivin, Glazolin, Nazol and Vibrocil. The latter remedy also has an antiallergic property, which is relevant in this situation.
- If swelling occurs as a result of a viral infection, stenosis can be reduced with antibiotics and antiviral drugs.
Note! Before removing a child’s throat swelling with medication, make sure that such treatment does not harm. In an emergency, call an ambulance.
Inpatient treatment
Treatment under the supervision of doctors is primarily aimed at reducing swelling and restoring normal breathing. In especially severe cases, surgery may be required.
Conservative treatment is based on taking several groups of drugs. Namely:
- antihistamines;
- antibacterial drugs (Augmentin and its analogues);
- corticosteroid drugs;
- diuretic drugs ("Furosemide" and the like);
- vitamins;
- sedatives.
It is impossible to say unequivocally which medicine relieves throat edema best. It all depends on the cause of the ailment, but, in any case, therapy should be comprehensive.
Treatment in a hospital can be supplemented by inhalation with mineral water, adrenaline. Oxygen masks have a good effect on the body.
During treatment, patients are advised to follow a diet: to exclude coarse, spicy and salty foods from the diet. Also, for a speedy recovery, you should ensure the peace of the vocal cords and exclude physical activity.
Surgery
If the treatment does not give the desired result and the edema decreases only slightly, there is a high likelihood of suffocation. In such a situation, the only thing that relieves swelling of the throat is tracheotomy.
This term means abdominal surgery, during which the surgeon makes a small incision in the larynx. A tube is inserted into the resulting hole, providing a constant flow of air into the respiratory tract.
Next, symptomatic therapy is performed. When the edema completely subsides, the tube is removed from the throat.
How to relieve pain and swelling in the throat with folk remedies?
If stenotic processes in the throat do not pose a threat to life and the patient feels normal, you can reduce the severity of pain and relieve swelling by folk remedies. The following procedures are characterized by the best impact:
- Rinse. Regular rinses help to remove plaque from the inflamed mucosa and provide direct contact of local drugs with the affected area. If you do not know how to gargle to relieve swelling, use the simplest soda solutions. This is a universal remedy for sore throat, which has earned positive reviews from most patients. For one glass of water, add 1 teaspoon of soda and gargle 1 time in 2-3 hours. You can also use infusion of chamomile, calendula and other medicinal herbs.
- You can relieve swelling of the throat mucosa with cool compresses. For this purpose, you can use a heating pad with cold water or ice wrapped in a cloth.
- Reduce the severity of pain helps carrot and beetroot juices. The main condition is that the juice must be freshly squeezed. To improve the therapeutic effect, you can supplement the liquid with one spoon of honey. Take juice of 100 ml per meal.
- To reduce swelling by removing excess fluid from the body will help a rosehip decoction. For its preparation, 1 tbsp. l fruits are poured with 1 liter of boiling water and insist for 2-3 hours. Ready broth is taken in 125 ml during each meal.
Alternative medicine can be supplemented with drugs. In this case, recovery will come much faster.
Drugs that relieve throat swelling in adults and children
Timely treatment started allows you to quickly overcome the disease and reduce the likelihood of complications. When choosing a drug, be sure to consult a doctor about the possibility of using this drug. Improper treatment can do even more harm than lack of therapy.
Today, the following drugs are most often used to treat stenotic phenomena:
- Penicillin antibiotics. Penicillin and its derivatives are antimicrobial agents. They are used to treat meningitis, scarlet fever, sore throat, diphtheria and other diseases caused by anaerobic microorganisms. The drug showed its best when administered intramuscularly, since when taken orally, the antibiotic is absorbed worse.
- Prednisone. This is a hormonal drug with anti-shock, anti-inflammatory, anti-toxic and anti-allergic effects. It is prescribed for mononucleosis, asthma and allergic diseases. With a mild form of the disease, the drug should not be taken.
- Diphenhydramine. This medicine is used by ambulance teams, as it has an antihistamine, hypnotic, anesthetic and anti-allergic effect. Abuse of this drug is not recommended, as it can cause side effects from all organs and systems of the body.
- Furosemide. The drug refers to drugs that have a diuretic effect. "Furosemide" eliminates congestion in the body and reduces swelling by removing excess fluid. The drug is available in ampoules and tablets, which makes it affordable and easy to use.
- Suprastin. This tool has a pronounced anti-allergic and antihistamine effect. "Suprastin" relieves swelling of the throat in cases where an allergy has contributed to the appearance of stenosis. Its dosage is determined based on the severity of the body's response to the allergen. Judging by the reviews of doctors, the drug instantly removes discomfort, but has a depressing effect on the nervous system.
- Fenistil. The drug also belongs to the group of antihistamines, however, unlike Suprastin, Fenistil has a lesser effect on the human nervous system and does not contribute to a decrease in concentration. For this reason, the tool has earned positive reviews from therapists, pediatricians and the patients themselves.
The above drugs are used for acute forms of puffiness, when the patient becomes worse with every minute. For daily use, they are not recommended.
If there is a mild form of edema of the throat, local analgesic preparations in the form of lozenges, sprays and tablets can be used. Among the most popular, judging by the reviews, the following can be distinguished: "Ingalipt", "Chlorophyllipt", "Teraflu", "Hexoral" and others.
To summarize
The above information suggests that knowing how to relieve swelling in the throat and how to act with various symptoms, you can save a loved one from complications and save his life.
If the patient's condition is regarded as severe, urgently call for help from doctors. With a mild form of the disease, it is quite possible to do home treatment with rinses, inhalations and simple medicines. But remember, increased heart rate, wheezing, and difficulty breathing are the main signs of a complication that requires immediate medical treatment under the supervision of doctors!