An unpleasant sensation when the tonsils become inflamed and painful to swallow is a common occurrence in both adults and children. This condition is especially often diagnosed during seasonal infections (acute respiratory viral infections, influenza). Inflammation of the glands is a kind of reaction of the body to the penetration of the pathogen, since they act as a protective barrier to infection. You need to know how to treat swollen glands at home to prevent possible complications.
Symptoms
The pathological process at the initial stage can be recognized by a characteristic sore throat. If you start therapy at this stage, then the inflammation passes in a mild form, without causing serious health complications. With the further development of pathology, unpleasant symptoms intensify. Among them:
- fever;
- hoarseness of voice;
- general malaise;
- irritability;
- bad breath;
- pain when swallowing;
- chills;
- swelling of the tonsils;
- headache;
- body aches.
Unpleasant signs of inflammation appear depending on the type and form of the disease. If the throat hurts and the tonsils are swollen, it is possible to determine what to treat, however, the cause of the development of inflammation should be established.
Causes
Most often, the main cause of tonsillitis is viruses and bacteria that have invaded the body. The main diseases that cause the inflammatory process:
- Angina (acute form of tonsillitis). The disease is characterized by high fever and obvious signs of intoxication (thirst, fever). It is painful to swallow not only food, but also its own saliva. On the surface of the glands, a light gray purulent coating is clearly visible. In most cases, the causative agent of the pathology is harmful microorganisms - streptococci. Infection occurs by airborne droplets, and the contact-household distribution option is also allowed.
- Chronic tonsillitis. In addition to painful swallowing, a person feels constant drowsiness, general weakness. The temperature rises, but slightly, in the range of 37.0-38.1 degrees. The disease develops against the background of an incompletely cured form, as well as a complication of sinusitis, the growth of adenoids.
- Pharyngitis of a chronic type. The disease develops in combination with various infections of the nose, mouth and upper respiratory tract. A characteristic feature is that the tonsils become inflamed, but do not hurt. Mucus accumulates in the nasopharynx, causing a persistent cough.
- Abscess. It develops as a complication of tonsillitis. With this disease, inflammation of only one tonsil is most often diagnosed, which indicates its suppuration. In addition to general symptoms, an unpleasant putrefactive odor appears from the mouth, breathing is difficult, the temperature is kept at around 40 degrees.
Tonsil inflammation can occur for other reasons. A characteristic difference of this pathological process is the absence of elevated temperature. The most likely causes of the disease:
- allergy;
- hypothermia;
- bad habits;
- toxic burn;
- throat injuries;
- dry indoor air.
Swollen glands in a child: how to treat?
With inflammation of the tonsils in a child, you should consult a doctor. Only a qualified specialist is able to identify the main cause of the pathological process and, on the basis of this, prescribe the appropriate treatment. Most often, in children, inflammation is diagnosed as a result of the development of a sore throat. If the child has swollen glands, how to treat a sore throat, and the general course of treatment is determined by the doctor. After confirming the diagnosis, therapy is carried out using the following drugs:
- Antibiotics (Sumamed, Amoxicillin, Ospamox, Tetracycline). The dosage is indicated by the doctor depending on the age of the child. Full course - 7 days. It can not be interrupted, even if the unpleasant symptoms have disappeared.
- Antipyretic drugs (Paracetamol, Efferalgan, Cefecon). Medications are used to relieve fever. After normalization of health, the reception should be stopped.
- Antimicrobial agents ("Furacilin", "Chlorophyllipt", "Miramistin"). Medications are used to rinse. They help reduce inflammation and prevent the further spread of infection, since during the procedure, pathogenic microflora is washed off the surface of the glands.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs (Tonsilgon, Malavit, Rotokan, Dioxidin). Medicines should be used in the form of inhalations to eliminate the inflammatory process.
In addition to medicines, the child should be provided with bed rest, which will exclude the development of complications, and plenty of water, which contributes to the rapid elimination of infection from the body. If a child has a sore throat, tonsils are swollen, what can be treated, in addition to medicines? To improve the well-being of the baby, it is recommended to use folk remedies. They are not able to replace the main therapy, but will help to significantly speed up recovery.
Effective folk remedies:
- Compress from cottage cheese. It is necessary to take ordinary cottage cheese, it is better to take homemade, distribute it on a napkin. Heat the compress to room temperature. Put it on the neck of the child, and wrap polyethylene on top. Additionally, you do not need to insulate. Compress helps to draw pus from the tonsils. It is recommended to carry out the procedure daily at night until the sore throat is completely eliminated.
- Lemon with sugar. Grind lemon with zest until smooth. Add sugar to the citrus mixture to taste. Take the drug 3-4 times a day to strengthen the protective function of the body.
- Milk with honey. If the glands are swollen, how to treat these components? It is necessary to warm the milk to a warm state, add honey to it to taste. To drink means in small sips. After taking, refrain from eating and drinking for 1 hour.
Swollen glands in an adult: how to treat with medications?
In the case of bacterial or viral lesions of the tonsils, treatment is carried out with the use of antibiotics. Preparations are prescribed by the attending physician in accordance with the form and severity of the disease. Common types of antibiotics:
- Amoxicillin. A semi-synthetic drug that is part of the penicillin group. Used for patients older than 10 years. The standard dosage is 0.5 g 3 times a day. In the case of a severe form of the disease, it is permissible to increase a single dose to 1 g. The course of therapy is 5-14 days, at the discretion of the doctor.
- Amoxiclav. You can take the drug from 12 years old. Reception is carried out every 8 hours for 1 tablet (0.375 g). In severe form, the norm rises to 0.675 g in 1 dose. The duration of treatment is 5-14 days.
- Wilprafen. Antibiotic macrolide group. The drug has a depressing effect on most grams + and grams of microorganisms that accumulate in the tonsils and lungs, causing an inflammatory process. The daily dosage is 1-2 g in three doses. Drink the medicine should be a large volume of water.
If the glands are swollen and sore, how to treat with other drugs? In addition to tablets, treatment is carried out with the use of lozenges or absorbable lozenges of local action, which help relieve pain and have an anti-inflammatory effect. The following drugs belong to this category:
- "Anti Sept";
- Septolet Neo;
- "Traveled";
- Agisept;
- Strepsils
- "Lizobakt."
Rinse
Glands swollen and sore, how to treat with rinses? This treatment method allows to reduce the inflammatory process and unpleasant symptoms, as well as significantly increase the protective function of the body. Rinse is used in combination with medication, but does not replace it. During the procedure, the treatment solution washes off the remains of products, dried crusts, harmful bacteria from the inflamed glands, which has a depressing effect on the pathogenic microflora.
Swollen tonsils, is it painful to swallow? How to treat by rinsing, you should understand. The method of carrying out the treatment procedure does not involve complex manipulations. The solution must be typed into the oral cavity, raise your head up and gargle. In this case, the liquid should wash it, but not enter it. For the procedure, about 100-150 ml of the treatment solution will be required. The rinse duration is 15-20 seconds. After that, the liquid should be spit out and a new one should be typed. Repeat the procedure 4-5 times.
The frequency of rinsing on the first day is every 30 minutes, in the following days, the interval between procedures should be increased by 30-40 minutes. Regular rinsing will help to quickly eliminate pain and relieve inflammation.
Rinse Solutions:
- Dissolve 1 tablet of Furacilin in 200 ml of warm water.
- Add 3 drops of iodine to a glass of water of comfortable temperature.
- Dissolve 5 g of soda and salt in 250 ml of warm water.
- Pour 20 ml of vinegar into 250 ml of water at a comfortable temperature.
- Mix 20 ml of lemon juice and honey. Add the mixture to 1 cup of warm water and mix.
- Mix chamomile, sage, St. John's wort, oak bark. Pour 50 g of the mixture with boiling water (500 ml). Insist 30 minutes, clear.
30 minutes after rinsing, it is recommended to chew the zest of lemon, the essential oils of which enhance the therapeutic effect of the procedure.
Inhalation
Glands swollen, how to treat at home with inhalation? This method of therapy also effectively relieves inflammation and pain. But you can use inhalation for treatment if the inflammatory process is not accompanied by fever. During inhalation, hot steam softens the irritated mucosa and prevents the appearance of a dry cough. For the procedure, you can use a regular kettle or any other container. Initially, you should heat the water to 60 degrees and add healing components to it. After that, you need to inhale the steam through the spout of the kettle, or cover yourself with a towel over the pan.
Common therapeutic components for inhalation in case of inflammation of the tonsils based on 1 liter of water:
- baking soda (10 g);
- sea salt (15 g);
- essential oil of eucalyptus or sage (5 drops);
- a decoction of chamomile, coltsfoot (30 g of grass collection);
- propolis tincture (20 ml).
Recommendations for inhalation.
- The treatment procedure should be carried out one hour after eating.
- After inhalation, you must not go outside for 60 minutes, do not smoke or eat.
- The regularity is 4-5 times a day.
- In adults, the duration of the procedure should be 5 minutes, in children - 2-3 minutes.
Inhalations are not able to eliminate the main cause of inflammation - they help reduce unpleasant symptoms.
Treatment of Inflamed Glands
Glands swollen, how to treat more to quickly relieve inflammation? To enhance the therapeutic effect of tablets and accelerate recovery, you can use additional processing of the glands with special solutions. You can buy them at the pharmacy.
The most popular treatment is Lugol. Its active ingredient is molecular iodine, which has an antiseptic and antibacterial effect. If the tonsils are swollen, how to treat them with this drug should be understood.
For treatment, you can use "Lugol" in the form of a solution or spray. In the first case, tweezers with a fixed swab will be required, which should be moistened in a tool and the surface of the glands should be treated. The second option involves uniform irrigation of inflamed tonsils with a special nozzle.
The frequency of processing is 3-4 times a day.
Compresses
If the tonsils are swollen, how can they be treated with dry heat? You can quickly and effectively cope with inflammation with the help of warming compresses.
Effective recipes:
- Dissolve "Dimexide" in water in a ratio of 1: 3. Add to the solution "Furacilin" in a ratio of 1: 5. Moisten a gauze dressing in the resulting fluid, and then fasten it around the throat. Cover with a foil and wrap with a scarf. You can remove the compress after 2-3 hours. This recipe should be used for severe pain.
- Fill 50 g of sage collection with 200 ml of boiling water. Soak the infusion for 40 minutes, clear. Dampen the dressing and put on the throat. Fix polyethylene on top and insulate with a scarf. Leave it all night.
- Mix 1 part of medical alcohol with 3 parts of warm water. Soak gauze in the resulting solution, and then put on the throat. Wrap with a film and a scarf. Remove the compress after 1 hour.
- Lightly beat off the cabbage leaf to make it soft and supple. Fix it on the neck in the area of inflamed glands. Insulate the compress on top with a warm scarf. Leave on for 10 hours.
- Dissolve honey to a liquid composition. Moisten a bandage in it, attach it to the throat. Fix over polyethylene and insulate with a scarf. Keep the bandage all night.
What if one tonsil is swollen?
Unilateral inflammation of the tonsils indicates that the infection did not have time to spread very much. And also it can be a sign of an incompletely cured disease. Inflammation of the gland, on the one hand, is most often diagnosed with the development of influenza, pharyngitis, tonsillitis or as a result of mechanical injury.
How to treat swollen gland on the one hand? Therapy is carried out in the same manner as with bilateral inflammation. If this is the initial stage of the development of the disease, then timely treatment will help to avoid infection of another gland.
Relapse prevention
So that glands do not inflame subsequently, it is recommended to adhere to simple recommendations:
- Lead a healthy lifestyle.
- Refuse bad habits that reduce the protective function.
- Balance nutrition by enriching the diet with healthy foods.
- Do not drink cold drinks.
- Dress according to the weather, avoid hypothermia.
- Timely treat sinusitis, caries, SARS.
- In the cold season, carry out preventive rinses.
If the gland is swollen, treatment should be carried out at the first sign of a disease. This will help prevent the further spread of infection and relieve discomfort. If all the measures taken have not brought a positive result, then you should immediately consult a doctor to identify the root cause of inflammation.