Fungal pharyngitis is a rather serious pathology that is difficult to treat. In order to achieve optimal results, it is very essential in time to discover the nature of the pathology. It is necessary to accurately carry out all the appointments of a doctor.
Fungal pharyngitis means inflammation of the pharynx. The initiating factors may be yeast-like bacteria. You will learn more about the symptoms, causes and treatment of fungal pharyngitis in adults and children in the article.
Classification
The clinical manifestation of the pathology consists of an acute and chronic form. They are characterized by the appearance of inflammatory vesicles on the distant wall of the pharyngeal mucosa, tonsils. Acute pharyngitis often changes into a chronic form. The course of the pathology is often chronic, the disease worsens a couple of times a year.
The acute form is expressed by a general deterioration in health. There is weakness, body temperature is gradually increasing. Developing, the disease can spread and provoke a runny nose.
The chronic type is not so pronounced. It is accompanied by a sore throat and coughing, general malaise is not noted. But continuous coughing can provoke irritation of the mucosa and deliver unpleasant sensations.
Causes
A huge number of different bacteria live in the oral cavity. In a healthy body, all representatives of the microflora interact with each other, maintaining an established balance. In some situations, the balance between microorganisms is disturbed, in one direction or another, and in this case microbial or fungal diseases occur.
Causes of fungal pharyngitis:
- Prolonged, unreasonable use of drugs.
- Treatment with immunosuppressants (for example, after transplantation of organs and tissues).
- Chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
- Taking steroids (anabolic steroids).
- Immunodeficiency of any nature.
The most common factor in the development of fungal pathology is the prolonged and improper use of antibiotics. Medicines eliminate both necessary and harmful bacteria, as a result of which various fungal microorganisms are activated and multiply rapidly. A particularly common causative agent of fungal pharyngitis is the fungus of the Candida family, in particular Candida albicans. They belong to the relatively pathogenic microorganisms that make up the usual microflora of the oral cavity.
They bear this name due to the fact that in an amount not exceeding 103 CFU (colony forming units), they practically do not stimulate any diseases. Among more than 103 CFU, candida provokes fungal pharyngitis / oropharyngomycosis / oral candidiasis.
Symptoms
Pharyngomycosis has a standard medical picture. In the acute course of the disease, a complication of the general condition is traced. A person may experience weakness, an increase in temperature - in some cases, above 39 degrees. As the disease spreads, the patient develops rhinitis. According to the emerging signs, it is possible to identify the disease and immediately consult a doctor.
In adults
The following are the most popular pathology indicators:
- pain when swallowing;
- prickly sensations of dryness in the form of a sore throat;
- constant urge to cough.
Chronic pharyngitis has not only obvious symptoms. With this disease, continuous sore throat occurs. In some cases, a dry cough appears. At the same time, the general condition remains within the boundaries of generally recognized norms, however, local manifestations exacerbate serious discomfort. As a result, high nervousness and sleep disturbance are formed.
Quite often, a protracted form of pharyngitis is not considered an independent ailment, but becomes one of the indicators of pathologies of the digestive system. Therefore, adults have uncomfortable feelings in the intestinal tract and stomach.
In children
Severe pharyngitis in a child has a similar clinical picture. But to find a pathology, for example, in a baby, is difficult enough. The child, as a rule, is picky, he is disturbed by sleep and there is no desire to take food. In young children, the disease has non-specific manifestations. The features are similar to the medical picture of any common cold.
In childhood, malaise for a short period changes into nasopharyngitis. This is justified by anatomical features. As a result, the child develops rhinitis.
In addition, with the development of acute pharyngitis, children begin to cough reflectively. This is due to irritation of the pharynx. The cough is dry and has the character of an attack.
During pregnancy
Pharyngomycosis is dangerous for women during pregnancy. Untimely identification and unprofessional treatment of pathology leads to fatal effects. In the early stages of pregnancy, infectious attacks provoke the loss of the baby. And in the later - early labor is likely.
A toxic effect is exerted by toxic substances released by the fungus during the disease. A pregnant woman should use pharmaceutical preparations with caution. These may include substances unsafe for fetal formation.
The following recommendations should be followed:
- try not to raise their voices;
- gargle every hour;
- drink plenty of warm water;
- exclude spicy and salty foods, smoked meats;
- take drugs prescribed by a doctor.
For rinsing, it is necessary to use decoctions of medicinal plants - calendula, sage, chamomile. Ready-made preparations can also be used. A good medicine in the form of a spray is Hexoral.
Diagnostics
Of significant importance in the diagnosis of pharyngomycosis is the questioning of the patient, during which the doctor is obliged to find out which diseases of the pharynx were diagnosed before, how they progressed and what therapy was carried out, whether the patient took a long course of corticosteroids or antibiotics, etc.
The discovery in the history of a patient who has come forward of information about immunosuppressive therapy or the presence of an aggravating and poorly treatable inflammatory disease of the pharynx from time to time allows the doctor to suspect pharyngomycosis.
Examination of the pharynx and pharyngoscopy reveal infiltration and swelling of the pharynx, damage to its blood vessels, and the presence of plaque on the mucosa. Characteristic of chronic pharyngomycosis is the uneven nature of redness of the posterior pharyngeal wall, the detection of lateral roller hypertrophy against the background of subatrophic modifications.
But based on the results of visual examinations of the pharynx, it is impossible to speculate about the etiology of the detected changes. For this reason, laboratory detection of fungi in smears from the throat is considered to be the basis for confirming the diagnosis of pharyngomycosis.
A screening method for the diagnosis of pharyngomycosis is the microscopic examination of a smear of tonsils and pharynx. With such a study, the detection of fungal cells, spores, and pseudomycelia strains is likely.
The cultural study of plaque and swab smears takes much more time than microscopy, but it can help determine the type of fungi and their susceptibility to antimycotic substances.
In order to reveal the background conditions of the body that served as a factor in the formation of pharyngomycosis, patients are prescribed an immunologist and an endocrinologist, immunogenetic and endocrinological examinations, medical tests, an RPR test for syphilis, a blood sugar test, a blood test for HIV and markers of hepatitis B and C.
Pharyngomycosis must be distinguished from enterobacterial pharyngitis, tonsillitis, cancer of the pharynx, diphtheria, syphilis, scarlet fever, infectious mononucleosis. In certain situations, the differential diagnosis of pharyngomycosis will require additional consultation with an oncologist, venereologist, infectious disease specialist.
Treatment
It is much more difficult to overcome the described pharyngitis than bacterial or viral. Methods of treating the symptoms of fungal pharyngitis, a photo of which is not posted for ethical reasons in the article, should be selected by the doctor depending on the severity of the disease.
Often the patient must be treated in a hospital. The duration of therapy in a medical institution is determined personally. It usually takes up to about fifteen days.
Therapy must be systematic. Drug therapy is aimed at eliminating the causative agent of the disease and enhancing immunity. Thanks to this approach, exacerbations can be eliminated.
General recommendations
In the absence of special indications, home pharyngitis is administered. The following activities are mainly recommended:
- Dry heat to the affected area - for example, a heating pad, dry dressing.
- Constant rinsing with disinfectant solutions.
- Resorption of medical candies.
- Frequent and plentiful use of warm liquid.
- Inhalation.
Drug treatment
In order to overcome fungal pharyngitis, they use antimycotic drugs based on fluconazole - Mikosist, Diflucan, etc. In addition, Nystatin, Natamycin, and other medications can be used.
Treatment of fungal pharyngitis will certainly be quite long. There are a variety of treatment regimens. The doctor may prescribe a single dose of 500 mg of fluconazole, and then 100 mg of the drug is taken throughout the week.
After the end of the use of antimycotic drugs, it is necessary to take medications that renew the intestinal microflora. These include linex, normobact and the like. The patient’s menu must certainly contain fermented milk products - yogurt, yogurt and kefir.
Local therapy for pharyngitis involves rinsing the mouth. It is most useful to use herbal preparations for this. Powerful antiseptics, such as Chlorhexidine and Miramistin, and in addition, tablets with antibiotics and antiseptics, do not need to be used. Such medicines lead to the destruction of the standard flora in the oral cavity. This complicates the renewal of the balance. Bio Blis tablets may be considered more effective drugs. They are a probiotic for the throat that contains beneficial bacteria.
Prevention
Preventive measures are based on simple rules:
- Body hardening.
- Refusal of addictions.
- Increased immune barriers.
- Performing manipulations to humidify the air.
- Refusing to drink or eat about an hour before bedtime.
- Frequent toothbrush replacement.
In general, fungal pharyngitis is not a dangerous disease today. But with its initial manifestations, it is recommended to immediately begin to take radical actions to combat pathology. The development of the disease will lead to a deterioration in the general condition, difficult long-term cure and painful sensations. Having determined the ailment, confirmed by the results of the analysis, one should be guided by the doctor's prescriptions and carry out preventive measures.