Acute pharyngolaryngitis: symptoms and treatment of children and adults

Acute pharyngolaryngitis is a common catarrhal disease that occurs in both adults and children. There is hardly a person who has never been ill with them. Therefore, it is so important to know the causes of this disease, its symptoms, methods of diagnosis and treatment. This is what will be discussed in this article.

Basic information

Acute pharyngolaryngitis - what is it? It is a disease of viral, bacterial or fungal origin. It is characterized by a combined lesion of the pharynx and larynx.

With timely treatment and compliance with the regimen, this disease does not pose a threat. But if you do not pay attention to it, inflammation extends to the trachea, bronchi with the development of tracheitis and bronchitis. Initially, a viral disease can be complicated by the addition of pathogenic bacterial microflora. Therefore, treatment of the disease should be started as soon as possible.

There is no single code for acute pharyngolaryngitis according to ICD-10 (international classification of diseases). This is due to the fact that this pathological process cannot be called an independent diagnosis. Rather, it is a syndrome that occurs in a variety of upper respiratory tract infections.

The combined nature of the syndrome also does not allow you to assign it a separate code. Therefore, acute pharyngolaryngitis in the ICD can be found in two sections:

• acute pharyngitis - code J02, which is divided into subspecies depending on the pathogen;
• acute laryngitis and tracheitis - code J04, also subdivided into subtypes.

Classification

Depending on the type of pathogen, acute pharyngolaryngitis is divided into:

• Adenovirus. Characteristic for young children. In addition to, in fact, damage to the pharynx and larynx, conjunctivitis, fever, swollen lymph nodes occur.
• Enterovirus. Accompanied by blistering rashes in the throat, fever.
• Cytomegalovirus. Slight sore throat amid severe prolonged fever.
• Herpetic. With rashes in the form of painful blisters throughout the oral cavity.
• Respiratory syncytial. The upper and lower respiratory tract are affected.
• In HIV-infected people. It proceeds as a herpetic or fungal lesion of the oropharynx. Accompanied by lethargy, diarrhea, rashes, weight loss.

Causes of the disease

In the vast majority of cases, acute pharyngolaryngitis is of viral origin. Its development is especially characteristic in acute viral childhood infections:

• measles;
• whooping cough;
• rubella;
• scarlet fever;
• diphtheria.

Especially severe inflammation of the pharynx and larynx occurs in patients with infectious mononucleosis. It is accompanied by a deterioration in the general condition of the patient, an increase in lymph nodes, liver and spleen, and a rash on the body.

Perhaps the bacterial origin of the disease. For example, with purulent tonsillitis. Although tonsils are mainly affected in this disease, in severe cases, the entire oropharynx is involved in the process.

Fungal lesions of the larynx and pharynx are characteristic of people with impaired immune system function. For example, in HIV-infected people.

Provocative factors

Viruses or bacteria can enter the human body, without leading to the development of acute pharyngolaryngitis against the horizon. But there are a number of provoking factors that increase the risk of a disease:

• hypothermia;
• chronic stress;
• excessive physical activity;
• Consuming too hot or too cold drinks
• smoking;
• alcohol abuse.

The factors listed above either reduce the overall resistance of the body (hypothermia, stress, physical activity), or damage the local barriers in the throat and larynx (smoking, alcohol, hot and cold drinks).

Main symptoms

Symptoms of acute pharyngolaryngitis include a clinic for lesions of the larynx and pharynx, since the disease itself is a combination of inflammation of these two organs. The most characteristic symptoms of the disease:

• cough without sputum;
• sore and other unpleasant sensations in the throat;
• voice changes: hoarseness, timbre change up to loss;
• sensations in the throat, as if someone was stuck;
• persistent sore throat, which intensifies when swallowing.

Additional symptoms

Often, inflammation of the nasopharynx and upper respiratory tract is not isolated. Depending on the pathogen and the type of disease, the following symptoms may join:

• runny nose;
• wheezing in the bronchi when breathing;
• headache;
• worsening general condition, weakness;
• increase in body temperature;
• skin rash;
• swollen lymph nodes.

Special attention should be paid to the symptom of enlarged lymph nodes. Indeed, depending on which groups of them are involved in the process, one can approximately judge the disease. Almost always during acute pharyngolaryngitis, lymph nodes that are located near the larynx and pharynx increase. They are also called regional lymph nodes. These are the parotid, submandibular groups.

But with some pathologies, other groups are involved in the process:

• infectious mononucleosis - an extensive increase in almost all lymph nodes;
• measles - enlarged occipital and cervical lymph nodes.
• rubella is a lesion of the cervical group.

Thus, according to one symptom alone, the development of a certain viral infection can be suspected.

Diagnosis of the disease: objective examination

When making a diagnosis, the doctor first conducts a detailed conversation with the patient. He asks him about complaints, learns about the onset of the disease and its development in dynamics. She also wonders if the patient took any medications on his own. Only after a detailed conversation does the doctor proceed to an objective examination.

The most important at this stage is the examination of the patient's throat. The doctor may see a different picture depending on the form of the disease. So, for acute catarrhal pharyngolaryngitis, the presence of redness, swelling is characteristic. A vascular network and small spots on the posterior pharyngeal wall can be seen. Typically, such changes are observed with a viral etiology of inflammation.

With purulent pharyngolaryngitis, white plaque and swelling are visible. The formation of abscesses or phlegmon is possible. This picture is characteristic of bacterial inflammation.

In addition to examining the throat, the doctor palpates the lymph nodes. He determines their size, consistency, soreness. Also carefully examines the skin and mucous membranes for rashes.

Laboratory and instrumental diagnostics

Only after a thorough conversation and examination of the patient is it possible to use additional diagnostic methods. First of all, the patient is sent for a general blood test. The results of the analysis may prompt the doctor on the cause of the disease.

With a viral infection, a decrease in the level of leukocytes with an increase in the number of lymphocytes and monocytes is determined. A bacterial one is characterized by a sharp increase in the level of leukocytes due to neutrophils.

If necessary, the doctor prescribes a bacteriological examination of a swab from the throat and larynx. This method consists in sowing a smear on a nutrient medium in order to find out the type of bacteria that caused the disease.

Instrumental diagnostics is necessary to determine the condition of the lung tissue. To this end, fluorography or chest x-ray is performed.

Non-drug therapy

The treatment of acute pharyngolaryngitis consists not only in taking medications, but also in non-pharmacological activities. Among them:

• strict bed rest;
• quitting smoking and alcohol;
• nutrition correction with refusal of food that injures the mucous membrane of the oral cavity (too cold and hot dishes, rough foods, spices, sour fruits).
• a large amount of liquid, but not very hot, with a temperature of up to 50 ° C;
• constant ventilation of the room where the patient is;
• maintaining a temperature of 20 ° C in this room.

Drug therapy: etiotropic

All treatment of pharyngolaryngitis with drugs can be divided into two large groups: etiotropic and symptomatic. Etiotropic treatment is to eliminate the cause of the disease, and symptomatic treatment is to improve the patient's condition by alleviating the symptoms.

Drugs that are used for etiotropic therapy are selected depending on the causative agent of the disease. Antiviral drugs are needed to treat a viral infection, antibiotics are needed for a viral infection, and antifungals are for fungal infections.

Particular attention should be paid to the etiotropic treatment of acute pharyngolaryngitis in children, since this is a characteristic syndrome for many childhood infections.

Drug therapy: symptomatic

Etiotropic therapy does not exist for all diseases, and even if it exists, its effect does not occur immediately. Therefore, medicines are needed that will alleviate the patient's condition before the pathogen leaves his body. These drugs are selected individually, depending on the patient's complaints:

• antipyretic at high temperature ("Paracetamol", "Ibuprofen");
• antiseptic and analgesic sprays in the throat ("Hexoral", "Orasept", "Aqualor");
• mucolytics in the presence of sputum, which does not cough up ("Mukaltin", "ACC", "Mukosolvin");
• antitussive - inhibit the cough center in the brain, are prescribed with a very strong cough, like with whooping cough ("Codelac", "Erespal");
• expectorants are prescribed together with mucolytics to improve sputum discharge (Ambroxol, Ambrobene);
• vasoconstrictor drops in the nose with nasal congestion and runny nose ("Aqualor", "Aqua-Maris").
• antihistamines - for infections accompanied by a rash (Loratadine).

Important! Mucolytics are forbidden to give to children under two years of age. Also, they can not be prescribed along with antitussive.

Preventative measures

Any disease is better to prevent than then treat. To prevent the development of acute pharyngolaryngitis, you must adhere to the following rules:

• regularly check the condition of the teeth at the dentist, since chronic foci of infection in the teeth can provoke relapses of inflammatory diseases of the oropharynx;
• avoid hypothermia;
• vaccinate children according to the national vaccination calendar;
• avoid severe stress and physical exertion;
• minimize contact with patients with respiratory viral infections;
• observe the rules of personal hygiene;
• adults should stop smoking and limit their intake of alcohol.

Even strict adherence to these rules can not protect against acute pharyngolaryngitis. After all, we never know with whom we are going in transport or walking alongside on the street. And any person is subject to stress and mental stress. Therefore, if you notice symptoms of pharyngolaryngitis, do not pull. Timely prescribed treatment eliminates the disease in less than a week!