Probably no one’s childhood passed without a sore throat. At least once everyone felt a sore throat, experienced accompanying symptoms. Parents should be well aware that this is a dangerous and contagious disease. So you need to limit your child’s contact with peers and provide him with competent treatment. Today we want to talk about the incubation period of tonsillitis in children. Knowing well how this disease develops and proceeds, you can quickly take measures to alleviate the condition of the baby.
We deal with terminology
In everyday life, we often call this ailment. Sore throat means angina. Doctors use a slightly different term - tonsillitis, that is, inflammation of the tonsils. This definition perfectly describes the characteristics of the development of the disease in children. It is understood that the tonsils are inflamed as a result of an acute infectious process.
The incubation period of tonsillitis in children depends on the immune system. The stronger it is, the less likely pathogens to hit the tonsils. Most often, the culprits are bacteria that come to us in direct contact with a sick sore throat and when using common household items with him. That is why it is so important to know how long the incubation period in children lasts. This will allow you to take security measures.
What is he like
Most readers are well aware of what is at stake, but it is never too late to refresh your memory. The incubation period of tonsillitis in children and adults begins from the very moment when the bacterium settles on the tonsils. Now you can wait for the main symptoms. It is the time from the entry of harmful bacteria into the throat to the manifestation of the disease that is called incubation. Here they actively multiply in order to suppress the protective functions of the body. Then the bacteria can already fully express themselves. Most often, angina develops in autumn. Although you can’t be sure that you won’t get sick in the summer either.
Features of the incubation period in children
This is how simple and unpretentious such a formidable disease as angina develops. The incubation period in children is not much different from the same process in an adult. It depends directly on the immunity of the baby. The stronger it is, the less likely it is that the disease will develop. Its duration is also different, so it is difficult to say when the sore throat begins. The incubation period in children lasts from several hours to a couple of days.
How to recognize
First of all, sweating and fatigue appear. Active babies become lethargic, which is not typical. Parents should pay attention to this symptom. If the baby refused food and began to sleep more, then the body’s forces are directed at something else, most likely, to fight the infection.
The next sign is malaise. This is a slight ache in the joints, lack of activity. Finally, the first symptoms appear, by which it can already be accurately determined that infectious tonsillitis is developing. This is a sore throat, and then temperature. Most often children suffer from tonsillitis, only one tenth of all cases fall into the share of adults. This is the main difference between this disease in large and small.
Timely response
The incubation period of a sore throat in a child is an occasion to immediately consult a doctor. It is strongly discouraged to wait for the signs to go away by themselves. If the disease is diagnosed by the doctor on time, then the prescribed therapy will allow you to stand on your feet in a matter of days. Literally a week will pass - and you can completely forget about sore throat and recover.
If treatment is absent or unprofessional, then the disease, by virtue of its neglect, becomes chronic. But this is not the only scenario. With self-treatment, angina can go into complex forms. Below we touch on them in more detail.
What affects the duration of the incubation period
We have already talked about the main factor, this is the immunity of the child. Indirectly affect living conditions, nutrition, the optimal amount of vitamins and minerals in the diet. However, the incubation period of angina in children depends not only on this. Komarovsky in his dialogues with young mothers does not get tired of telling us that the duration of the incubation period is influenced by:
- type of pathogen;
- severity of form;
- how quickly treatment began.
Bacterial tonsillitis is manifested faster than others. However, its optimal cure is possible only if the patient observes bed rest. An attempt by parents to send a child to a kindergarten results in bacteria settling in the body for a long time.
We came close to the fact that there are different types of tonsillitis. The incubation period of each of them can be very different, so parents should be aware no worse than pediatricians.
Types of sore throat
There are a lot of species, often only an experienced doctor can distinguish one form from another. Angina can be catarrhal and follicular, lacunar, and also acquire a fibrous form. Parents usually divide all these species into two groups. The first is angina without ulcers, or catarrhal. The second is all other forms that occur with complications.
Before we go any further, I want to once again recall the words of the famous doctor Komarovsky. He claims that tonsillitis complications can be very dangerous. Among them there are abscesses and phlegmon of the soft tissues of the throat and neck, which is fraught with a further inflammatory process. Therefore, do not self-medicate, but consult a doctor immediately.
Differences in the incubation period
Indeed, since there are different forms, perhaps there are specific signs that will allow parents to quickly navigate. Let's look at this as an example of how purulent tonsillitis begins. The incubation period of children lasts from 2 hours to 4 days. That is, the timing of the development of the disease is no different, whatever form you take. The soft tissue of the tonsils is very convenient for the reproduction of bacteria. After infection, their number begins to increase at a high speed. As a result, inflammation develops rapidly.
Purulent tonsillitis is not a complication of catarrhal
This is a very important point. The lack of treatment for this disease really leads to complications. However, the incubation period of purulent tonsillitis in children can not be longer than 5 days. If the immune system does not completely destroy the bacteria, then they develop very quickly, and the inflammatory process begins already on the day of infection. If immunity has the strength to suppress the development of bacteria, then the disease will not manifest itself at all. Therefore, it will be a mistake to believe that if the patient has a severe, purulent sore throat, it means that he became infected for a long time, and the disease has reached such a stage. It can develop that way from the first day.
Varieties of purulent form
As already mentioned, it is divided into several types. What incubation period of angina in a child can be, we have already considered. Regardless of the type, it takes place over a period of several hours to two days. How will this or that form of the disease proceed?
- Follicular tonsillitis lasts from 3 to 5 days. The first bell is a strong increase in temperature. As the disease develops, the lymph nodes of the tonsils are affected. They turn red, then they are drenched with purulent plaque.
- The lacunar form is almost identical, but the symptoms develop even more acutely. The term of treatment is up to 7 days.
Signs of sore throat in children
There is a specific symptomatology that is characteristic only for small patients. This once again suggests that special attention should be paid to their treatment. In children, severe swelling of the mucous membrane, tonsils and soft palate is often found. Doctors diagnose skin rashes, inflammation of the mucous membrane and lymph nodes, runny nose and cough. In the case of a complicated course of the disease, abdominal pain and severe fever can be noted.
It is very important that a qualified doctor examines your child as soon as possible and prescribes adequate treatment. If the condition worsens, be sure to call an ambulance, because inflammation and the associated high fever can be life-threatening for your child.
Separately, Dr. Komarovsky addresses his parents about the use of folk remedies for the treatment of angina. Even if it is a commonplace cold, it will be much better if you consult an experienced doctor. To deal with falling asleep mustard in socks, rubbing with vodka or vinegar, soaring legs in a basin and applying dozens of similar methods when a child develops a sore throat and a fever - this, in his opinion, is a crime against the baby. Therefore, consult with a pediatrician and use only those treatment methods that he approves.