When they say: swelling is bare, as a rule, they mean swelling of the larynx. We will talk about what such edema is, the causes of its appearance and methods of treatment today in our article.
So, it is important to understand that the throat swells due to a disease that can be both inflammatory and non-inflammatory in nature.
Inflammatory edema is, as a rule, a manifestation of a disease of the pharynx and other organs, which can result from acute and chronic infections. So, for example, throat edema is observed during flu, measles, as well as syphilis or even tuberculosis. They also say that the throat is swollen, with an allergic reaction, burns of the larynx, injuries and so on.
Non-inflammatory edema occurs with special forms of heart failure, as well as diseases of organs such as the kidneys and liver.
Swollen throat: symptoms
Signs of laryngeal edema are directly related to the degree of narrowing of its lumen and the speed of its spread. In the process of inflammatory edema of the epiglottis, the patient experiences pain during swallowing, as well as a sensation of a foreign body in the throat, breathing may be difficult, a change in voice is observed.
With the spread of edema to the mucosa of the arytenoid cartilage, vocal folds, the symptoms listed above are aggravated. In such cases, it is urgent to consult a doctor, as with continued growth of edema, suffocation and death are possible.
Swollen throat: treatment and diagnosis
As a rule, throat edema can be diagnosed simply by the appearance of the mucous membrane, which can cover a possible tumor in the larynx or even a foreign body that has got into the larynx. For diagnosis, indirect laryngoscopy or radiography of the larynx is performed.
How to treat throat edema? The symptoms listed above are a sign that, at a minimum, you need to seek help from a specialist to restore external breathing and prevent asphyxiation. In some cases, hospitalization cannot be avoided. At the beginning of the inflammatory process, you can try to absorb pieces of ice. Also, at the same time, it does not hurt to make warming compresses. Alternatively, you can consider poultices on the neck and treatment with leeches. In extreme cases, incisions are made on the mucous membrane of the larynx or a tracheotomy is performed if there is a risk of suffocation. Very effective oxygen treatment.
Swollen throat in a child: what does it mean, what to do?
Laryngeal edema in children is characterized by obstruction of the upper respiratory tract with subsequent narrowing of the lumen of the larynx, which is manifested by respiratory distress and the development of heart failure. This condition requires urgent hospitalization with subsequent diagnosis and treatment.
Most often, preschoolers suffer from laryngeal edema, since it is precisely in young children that a narrow airway clearance with a tendency of the mucous membrane to develop edema is noted.
Causes of edema in children
Laryngeal edema in a child can occur due to causes of an infectious and non-infectious nature.
The first category includes viral infections, bacterial infections. To the second category - aspiration of foreign bodies, as well as trauma to the larynx and swelling of an allergic nature.
Laryngeal edema in children - treatment
As a rule, laryngeal edema appears unexpectedly in the middle of the night. During edema, the child begins to breathe hoarsely, choking on bouts of "barking" cough. Oxygen in the blood begins to flow in smaller quantities, so limbs can turn blue, lips turn pale and pulse becomes more frequent.
This laryngeal edema is also called false croup. False croup develops in several stages.
At the first stage, the child may have a hoarse voice, a barking cough appears . At the second stage, you can observe a large stenosis of the larynx, the child begins to feel a lack of air, the baby's skin in the nasolabial triangle becomes a bluish tint.
In the third stage, the child is excited, scared, and then falls into a state of lethargy and indifference. The skin on the face of the child becomes sweaty and pale.
When symptoms of false croup appear, parents must call a doctor, whether it be day or night.
Pending a doctor, parents can provide first aid to the child on their own. To begin with, it will be necessary to increase the flow of oxygen into the room, open the window or window. The next step - the child needs to be taken to the bathroom, where he can breathe in the warm and humid air that forms in the room if you turn on the hot faucet.
You can drink your child warm tea with mint, milk with a little soda (on the tip of a knife). You should not limit the baby to drink fluids, not forgetting that the drink should be warm.
In addition, while waiting for a doctor, you can put mustard plasters on the baby’s chest for 10 minutes or soak your legs and arms for five to seven minutes.