Every mother will need the knowledge of how to recognize various inflammatory pathologies in the oropharynx in a child. These diseases are quite common in children's practice. Timely diagnosis allows you to carry out the necessary treatment and cope with the adverse symptoms of the disease. There are many inflammatory processes that occur in the mouth and throat in children. One of these pathologies is pharyngitis.
What causes?
This disease is associated with damage to the mucous membranes of the oropharynx. This pathology is widespread throughout the world. You can get sick at any age. According to statistics, babies attending educational institutions are most often susceptible to illness.
This feature is due to the fact that most of the pharyngitis is caused by various pathogens. In the conditions of crowded collectives, viruses and bacteria multiply rapidly and spread rapidly from a sick child to a healthy one. This spread leads to the emergence of massive outbreaks of the disease.
The main method of transmission of infectious pharyngitis is airborne. Pathogens are absorbed into the smallest particles of saliva and easily get onto the mucous membranes during normal conversation. It is important to note that not only viruses and bacteria are the root cause of the development of pharyngitis. The influence of a wide variety of factors also leads to the appearance of adverse symptoms of the disease.
The oropharynx is an organ that contains a huge amount of lymphoid tissue. Such a biological feature of the human body prevents it from penetrating dangerous infectious pathogens.
A decrease in local or systemic immunity contributes to the weakening of immune functions. This leads to easy infection with any infections, including those leading to the development of pharyngitis.
The main symptoms
The inflammatory process in the pharynx brings the baby some discomfort. The mild course of the disease, as a rule, is tolerated by the child, and his general condition changes slightly. Severe forms of the disease are dangerous by the development of adverse complications and long-term consequences. The severity of symptoms largely depends on how severe the disease is in a particular baby.
The clinical signs of inflammation in the pharynx include:
- Moderate or severe soreness when swallowing. Inflamed mucous membranes react quite violently to any temperature effects. Eating excessively hot or cold foods can lead to increased pain. Ingestion of food solids can also increase pain.
- Redness and swelling of the throat and the back of the throat. You can identify this clinical sign yourself at home. To do this, parents should arm themselves with an ordinary teaspoon or wooden spatula, which is sold in any pharmacy.
During such an examination, try not to press hard on the root of the tongue, as this can provoke the vomiting of the baby.
- Persecution... This symptom is most specific for pharyngitis. Persecution can be expressed slightly or quite strongly disrupt the general well-being of the child. In some cases, the sick baby feels a burning sensation or "soreness" in the throat. The symptom is aggravated by the use of products that irritate the mucous membranes.
- Intoxication. In most cases, body temperature rises to 37-37.5 degrees or may remain within normal values. A sick baby has a decrease in appetite, sleep worsens and mood may worsen.
What do the different shapes look like?
A traditional and classic sign of inflammation in the oropharynx is redness and swelling. This symptom occurs in all clinical variants of the disease, regardless of what cause contributed to the development of the disease. However, each form of pharyngitis has its own characteristics in how it manifests itself:
- For viral pharyngitis characterized by severe hyperemia (redness) of the visible mucous membranes of the oropharynx and pharynx. On examination, increased tissue infiltration is also visible. Outwardly, it looks like an unevenness of the mucous membranes lining the pharynx and the distal oropharynx. Acute viral pharyngitis is also accompanied by pronounced redness of the tonsils, the root of the tongue and palatine arches.
Touching these anatomical elements with a spatula or spoon in some cases leads to soreness.
- Bacterial forms of pharyngitis - are quite common in children. They are manifested by pronounced redness of the pharynx, as well as the possible development of purulent plaque. It is formed in a rather severe course of the disease. A purulent plaque is usually yellow. In some cases, it can acquire a greenish color.
- Herpes pharyngitis occurs in babies quite often. It manifests itself by the formation of numerous rashes on the mucous membranes of the pharynx, which often resemble in appearance bubbles filled with liquid inside. In some cases, herpes lesions look like small pimples on the throat. When the vesicles touch, they are easily injured, and the serous fluid, mixed with the ichor, flows out. The herpes variant of pharyngitis proceeds quite hard with a pronounced intoxication syndrome.
- Granular pharyngitis appears when the inflammatory process spreads deeper than the superficial epithelial lining of the oropharynx. It occurs during the transition of an acute process to a chronic one. It is characterized by the proliferation of lymphoid tissue of the oropharynx, which manifests itself in the form of thickening of the visible mucous membranes. When examining the pharynx, numerous irregularities, "tubercles" are visible. In the late stages of the disease, the mucous membrane of the oropharynx becomes smoother, and its surface is shiny and slightly "lacquered".
- Doctors also note that in some cases there may be mixed forms of pharyngitis. They are manifested by a wide variety of non-specific symptoms. The fundamental criterion for establishing the diagnosis of pharyngitis is the presence of pronounced redness of the oropharynx and pharynx, as well as the occurrence of perspiration, soreness or other negative symptoms in the child.
In the next video, a pediatrician and an otorhinolaryngologist will tell parents about when a red throat in a child can be a sign of pharyngitis.
