An infectious disease that begins to develop after tonsillitis or acts as a complication after purulent sore throat is paratonsillitis.
Pathology is very difficult and is one of purulent abscesses - a huge amount of pus begins to form on the throat tonsils, which is located under the epithelium of the mucous membrane. The development of paratonsillitis is a process that can occur on one side of the throat or on both.
Causes of the disease
The main reason why paratonsillitis begins to develop is the presence of pathogenic bacteria in the human body. Most often these are streptococci, which actively multiply under the influence of the following factors:
- Improper nutrition, which led to a lack of essential trace elements, vitamins in the body.
- Bad environmental, climatic, social living conditions.
- Maintaining an unhealthy lifestyle (nicotine, alcohol, drug addiction).
- A person is more AIDS, which is why he has a very weak immune system.
- There is a chronic form of diabetes.
- A person suffers from frequent inflammatory processes or exacerbations of a variety of chronic pathologies.
- Weak immunity.
- A person has rotten molars. The infection, which caused suppuration, goes to the tonsils and provokes the development of the inflammatory process.
- May occur as a result of tonsillectomy.
- Incorrect treatment of purulent tonsillitis.
- Severe course of tonsillitis.
- One of the possible causes of the development of paratonsillitis is tonsil hypothermia.
Also, the causes of the development of pathology can be such diseases as adenoids, caries, stomatitis. In the ICD, paratonsillitis has the code J36.
Signs of the disease
The appearance of pus on the tonsils does not occur on its own. It is considered a complication. The main symptoms of paratonsillitis are the following manifestations:
- in the throat area there are painful sensations on the affected side, which give to the ear, teeth;
- it becomes difficult to swallow food and saliva;
- there is a spasm of the masticatory muscles;
- due to severe pain, it is difficult to tilt or turn the head;
- there is a sensation that a foreign object is in the throat;
- there is an increase in lymph nodes;
- body temperature rises significantly and in especially severe cases it can be higher than the mark of 40 degrees;
- a person constantly feels very tired;
- there is a headache and insomnia;
- the voice becomes nasal due to severe swelling, and speech is almost impossible to make out;
- there is an unpleasant odor from the mouth;
- there is a blockage of muscle functionality, so a person cannot fully open his mouth.
During the development of this disease, other symptoms may appear that are not characteristic of it. Treatment of paratonsillitis should occur with the help of a doctor, because only a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis after a thorough examination of the patient.
Types of pathology
The disease is divided into several different types, depending on the type of inflammatory process and the place in which it began to develop. The treatment of paratonsillitis depends on this. The formation of inflammation allows you to distinguish the following forms of the disease:
- Edematous paratonsillitis. It is quite rare. The main symptoms will be pale or completely transparent mucous membranes. The glands and a small tongue increase in size, you can notice a slight swelling of the palatine arches, the sky. Because of this, it may be difficult to establish the exact focus of inflammation.
- Abscessing paratonsillitis. In this case, an abscess develops. Through the mucous membrane, it is clearly visible in which place there is an accumulation of pus.
- Infiltrative paratonsillitis. This type of disease is manifested by severe swelling of the tonsils and adjacent tissues. At the site of the development of the inflammatory process, the palate deforms and one can notice its asymmetry. If you do not treat the infiltrative form of this disease, then it passes into a purulent form. It is important to know that the paratonsillitis code in the ICD-10 is J36.
Types of disease at the location
According to the symptoms of paratonsillitis and the localization of the inflammatory process, different types of this pathology are distinguished:
- Front. You can clearly see the asymmetry of the soft palate, severe swelling of the tonsils. Microbes enter the tissue of loose fiber directly from the tonsils, which provokes the development of inflammation. This type of paratonsillitis is more common than others.
- Rear. There is inflammation and the development of swelling in the back of the head.
- Lower. The inflammatory process begins to develop slightly below the location of the tonsils. Also, the lower part of the anterior arch is often inflamed. On the part of the lesion, the tongue may hurt a little.
- Side. This type of paratonsillitis is less common than others. The inflammatory process develops in the tissues of loose fiber from the outside with respect to the tonsils.
The acute form of paratonsillitis
It can develop both directly inside the throat, and from the outside of the neck. Symptoms include severe redness and the presence of swelling of the skin. In some cases, you can clearly see the lesion, because an abscess begins to form in it.
If the abscess opens without outside intervention on the 5-7th day of the development of acute paratonsillitis, then this means that the pathology is on the decline. But more often you can not do without surgical intervention, because there is a big risk that the inflammatory process will begin to affect deeper tissues and the condition of the person will noticeably worsen. Treatment of paratonsillitis abscess should begin immediately after the appearance of the first signs.
Diagnosis of the disease
The ICD paratonsillitis code is J36. In order to be able to choose the most effective treatment, it is worthwhile, first of all, to conduct a thorough examination and diagnosis of the patient. It includes the following:
- the doctor's examination of the patient's history and complaints;
- determination of which particular signs are manifested more distinctly than the rest;
- clarification of the patient whether he had had tonsillitis or a purulent form of tonsillitis shortly before, and how the treatment occurred;
- establishing an approximate time when the patient began to feel much worse;
- then an external examination is carried out;
- Pharyngoscopy is performed.
If, after the examination, the doctor is still not completely sure of the diagnosis, then an ultrasound scan or CT scan is performed. If necessary, a physician consultation may be necessary.
Paratonsillitis treatment
If after the diagnosis such a diagnosis as paratonsillitis was made, then specially selected therapy is carried out further.
The treatment regimen will completely depend on what condition the patient is in and what form of paratonsillitis is present. It is important to follow all the recommendations of a specialist. The ICD-10 code for paratonsillitis is J36.
Treatment of edematous and infiltrative forms
These forms of pathology are treated with antibiotics in injections. It can be "Penicillin", "Erythromycin" or "Cefazolin." As an additional therapy, you need to gargle with antiseptic drugs as often as possible. Antipyretic drugs are used to normalize body temperature. Pain is eliminated with the help of analgesics. All drugs are prescribed by a doctor.
If there is no abscess
This form of paratonsillitis is successfully treated at home. In the pharmacy, the patient must purchase the herbs, tinctures and solutions prescribed by the doctor.
Every day, several times you need to gargle and then the risk of complications is minimal. You can take advantage of traditional medicine and a great addition will be physiotherapy, which will speed up the healing process several times.
Treatment of paratonsillitis with an abscess
In the event of an abscess, a conservative and, even more so, alternative treatment will not bring any result. Do not waste time on this. The abscess is removed surgically.
The operation is done only under local anesthesia. After the procedure, the lesion site is most often washed with special disinfectants. A photo of paratonsillitis will allow you to verify the severity of this disease.
To open the abscess, there must be certain indications. These include:
- an abscess formed on the side and it is very difficult to treat without surgical intervention;
- after the first operation, the patient did not begin to feel better;
- the inflammatory process went further and began to develop in the tissues of the chest, neck or throat;
- tonsillitis or purulent tonsillitis occur very often.
After the operation, you also need to take antibiotics and resort to physiotherapeutic procedures. With their help, you can quickly restore the immune system after paratonsillitis and surgical intervention.
Alternative methods of treatment
In those situations when the purulent form of paratonsillitis has not yet begun to develop, alternative medicine can be used as an additional therapy. The following recipes can be called the most effective:
- Rosehip with honey. With this tool, you can well strengthen the immune system. Take 60 grams of dried rose hips, chop and pour into a thermos. Pour boiling water and insist for 4 hours. Then fold the cheesecloth into several layers and strain the infusion. Take 3 times a day and be sure to jam a teaspoon of honey. The course of treatment is at least three weeks.
- A mixture of medicinal plants. Thoroughly mix the willow bark, inflorescences of Veronica officinalis, linden blossom in the same amount. Take 40 grams of the mixture and brew in a glass of boiling water. Insist 40 minutes, then strain and gargle with the resulting broth throat twice a day. The course of treatment is 14 days.
- Inhalations using honey. In the kettle you need to boil half a liter of water. Add 40 grams of liquid honey. In order not to burn yourself, cover the neck with a handkerchief or towel. Vapors should be inhaled for 10 minutes. To get positive results from such treatment, it is enough to carry out 2 inhalations on day. The course of treatment is 5 days.
Remember that traditional medicine acts as an additional therapy. Do not replace the main treatment with it. You can use traditional medicine recipes only after consulting with your doctor.
Complications of Paratonsillitis
As a result of the development of paratonsillitis, the following complications may occur:
- An increase in swelling and damage to the larynx. Airways overlap, resulting in suffocation.
- Sepsis, a blood poisoning, may develop.
- Mediastinitis occurs - sections of the chest, which are located next to vital organs, become inflamed.
- An abscess begins to develop in the tissues of the neck.
Also, paratonsillitis can provoke problems in the work of the cardiovascular system, skin diseases, an allergic reaction, and rheumatism.