Herpetic tonsillitis: symptoms and treatment

Herpetic angina is one of the types of viral infection that especially affects people in the autumn and spring.This type of sore throat can develop in both adults and children, but the symptoms and treatment in these categories of patients will be different.

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Herpetic sore throat in adults

The incubation period of the disease in adults is 14 days - after this period the patient begins to experience characteristic symptoms of herpetic sore throat.

Signs of the development of sore throat

Firstly, the patient feels quite strong pain in the throat - this is considered the main sign of the disease in question.The pain may be intense at once, but in some cases, herpetic angina begins with a slight perspiration and a sensation of a coma in the throat and only later pain syndrome appears.

Secondly, patients immediately note the appearance of an ache in the whole body - many this symptom is taken for a sign of the flu and they start taking specific medications, which is a big mistake.

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Third, the patient complains of headache and insomnia, and already these symptoms lead to irritability and excessive nervousness.By the way, the headache is not removed by the usual painkillers, and insomnia continues to bother even after taking hypnotic drugs, although a short-term effect may be.

Note: all of the above signs may be confused with developing flu, but within a few days( maximum 3), the characteristic symptoms of herpetic sore throat appear.

Characteristic symptoms of herpetic sore throat in adults:

sharp increase in body temperature to critical parameters;
increasing pain in the throat, the patient can not swallow even liquid food;
on the back wall of the pharynx will be small, dotted rashes of red color, which in a day begin to transform into vesicles and small sores.

Treatment of herpetic sore throat in adults

As a rule, angina does not cause much trouble for the patient, but her symptoms disrupt the habitual rhythm of life, therefore, when choosing the treatment regimen for the disease in question, you first need to remove symptoms. Typically, the prescriptions are as follows:

Antihistamines and desensitizing drugs - Suprastin, Diazolin.These drugs quickly remove swelling of the pharynx, facilitate overall health and reduce the intensity of pain in the pharynx.
Anti-ulcer drugs - Acyclovir, Viferon.They are lubricated by the rashes and sores that form on the back wall of the pharynx, which makes their healing quick.
Vitamin therapy is a complex of preparations of vitamins of group B, C. Patients should understand that it is impossible to replenish the reserve of these substances in the body with extremely useful, vitamin-rich products, so be sure to drink the vitamin complex prescribed by the doctor.

It is very important to provide a patient with a herpetic sore throat with an abundant drink and choose the right diet, in which only mild, shredded food of average temperatures will be present.

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Note: because the disease under consideration has a viral etiology, doctors do not consider it appropriate to prescribe antibiotics.These drugs will be effective only in the case of prolonged course of an acute period of herpetic sore throat( more than 4 days) - this will prevent the development of severe complications.

Folk treatment of herpetic sore throat in adults

Of course, in folk medicine, there are a lot of recipes that will help to prepare medical remedies against herpetic sore throat. Here are just the most common and effective ones:

Propolis tincture.You can prepare it yourself( for 100 ml of alcohol put 10-30 grams of propolis and insist about 10 days) or purchased at a pharmacy.Use this tool to treat the affected parts of the posterior pharyngeal wall - the sores quickly heal, the pain when swallowing disappears, although during the procedure the patient and will feel a few minutes quite a burning sensation.
Infusion of beetroot.It is necessary to grate the red beet on a small grater and pour the pulp with boiling water in the ratio 1: 1.Infused for 6 hours, and used to rinse your throat every 2 hours for 2-3 days.Infusion of beet will help quickly get rid of the inflammatory process and reduce pain when swallowing.
Compress with garlic.Sore throat with herpetic sore throat will remove a simple compress: you need to take a handful of ordinary crackers, add to them a head of peeled and chopped garlic and pour everything with boiling water so that the mass is completely "drowned".Once the biscuits are soaked with water, you need to quickly drain it, and put the resulting substance into a cotton sock and attach it to the throat.The compress lasts until completely cooled down, but you must not allow excessive burning.
Compress from cabbage.It will take a leaf of white cabbage, which is simply applied to the throat and fixed with a scarf.Cabbage leaf can remove heat and relieve pain when swallowing, and to enhance the effect of such a compress, you need to cut the cabbage leaf and even in the form of a gruel to attach to the throat.

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Possible complications of herpetic sore throat

Many patients prefer to treat the sore throat on their own, but there are many types of this disease and for each there is individual treatment.If herpetic sore throat is treated incorrectly or even completely neglected, severe complications can be expected. These include:

Meningitis;
pyelonephritis;
rheumatism;
encephalitis;
myocarditis.

Herpetic sore throat in children

In general, the disease under consideration is often found precisely in childhood - according to statistics, herpetic angina is diagnosed in children aged 3-10 years.The cause of the development of this disease is infection with the Coxsackie virus, which spreads either from a sick person or from a virus carrier.Infection occurs by airborne, by contact-household or by alimentary route.To promote the development of herpetic sore throat may be a child's hypothermia, reduced immunity, the use of cold drinks and dishes.

Symptoms of herpetic angina in children

The onset of the disease in childhood is always sudden, harsh. At the outset, herpetic angina has symptoms similar to those of influenza:

increases body temperature to critical levels;
the child complains of pain in muscles and aches;
receives complaints of headache and light dizziness;
the patient's appetite decreases, some children refuse to eat at all;
often a child with developing herpetic sore throat is troubled by abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting;
quickly appear sore throat, runny nose and cough.

Symptoms of herpetic sore throat in children Literally on the first day of the disease, rashes of red color appear and puffiness of the tonsils in the pharynx, the upper palate and the posterior pharyngeal wall, which quickly develop into small nodules and vesicles with liquid contents.In a couple of days these very bubbles turn into erosive sores that cause the child a severe pain - the patients completely refuse from food and drink, it is difficult for them to swallow even their own saliva, so there may be salivation.

In addition to visible changes in the mucous throat and oral cavity, there is an increase in submandibular and cervical lymph nodes - this is considered a characteristic sign of herpetic sore throat.

Note: if herpetic angina occurs in the usual form, then the temperature of the sick child's body will be normalized already on the 4th-5th day of the illness, and the sores pass within a week.But if the immunity of a child is weakened, then the characteristic symptoms of the disease in question can return in 2-3 days after a seemingly complete recovery.

Treatment of herpetic sore throat in children

As a rule, with a herpetic sore throat, the child is not placed in a medical institution, and therapy is performed on an outpatient basis.A doctor after a full examination of a small patient will make individual appointments. The most commonly used in the treatment of herpetic sore throat are the following drug groups:

antiviral;
antipyretic;
immunomodulators;
antiallergic;
topical treatment;
physiotherapy procedures.

Antibacterial agents for herpetic angina are not prescribed, since this disease has a viral etiology, and antibiotics do not act on such pathogens.Very good effect gives regular irrigation of the oral cavity and pharynx with leukocyte interferon, and it is still possible to treat mucous pharynx with ointments Acyclovir or Viferon.

If the child has a body temperature that exceeds the reading of 38, 5 degrees, then it is advisable to give antipyretic drugs - for example, Ibuprofen or Paracetamol.If the body temperature is lower than the indicated figures, then there is nothing to be done - the high temperature is struggling with the herpetic sore throat virus.

Please note: must necessarily rinse throat with specific antiseptic agents - for example, Furacilin, Miramistin or Biocide.This will prevent the attachment of a secondary infection.If the child still does not know how to gargle independently, then the same drugs can just water his throat.

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In pediatric practice, with topical sore throat, topical preparations are also used - for example, Ingalipt, Angina and Gevalax aerosols have antiseptic, analgesic and enveloping effects.And ultraviolet irradiation of the pharynx will ensure rapid healing of erosions and ulcers on the mucosa.

Please note: inhalations and compresses should not be used in the treatment of herpetic sore throat.First, these procedures can trigger an increase in body temperature.Secondly, it is these thermal procedures that give a "push" to the wider spread of the virus.

General recommendations for caring for a sick child

A child with a herpetic sore often refuses food, as it is difficult for her to swallow.But after all, he receives medicines, and the body needs strengths so that immunity does not weaken completely and continues to fight the disease! Therefore, parents should work with the pediatrician to develop a diet for the period of the disease, which includes the following rules: food

must be either liquid or wiped;

the temperature of food, drinks and food is average - you should not eat hot or cold food;

food during the acute course of the disease should be light, but nutritious at the same time - do not overload and so weakened the body;

the ideal dish for herpetic sore throat will be chicken broth - a liquid, not heavy for the body, nutritious;Dairy products can be added to the diet of a sick child, but only if they have no vomiting and diarrhea;

is strictly forbidden to give the sick child pickled, salted and smoked products.

As against a background of herpetic sore throat, diarrhea and vomiting can aggravate diarrhea and vomiting, it is necessary to provide it with an abundant drink - it is allowed to give fruit drinks, compotes, kissels, decoction from rose hips.

It is necessary to isolate a sick child with herpetic sore throat, allocate a separate set of dishes to him and exclude absolutely any contact with healthy family members - do not forget about the virus etiology of the disease.

It is very important every 2 hours to make a baby rinse the throats with decoctions of medicinal plants.For this you can use eucalyptus, chamomile, sage, calendula.The only point - it is necessary to find out in advance whether the child has an allergy to any of the mentioned plants, so as not to worsen the state of his health.

Herpetic angina is a fairly common type of viral disease, which is well treatable.The main thing is to strictly follow the doctor's prescriptions and recommendations - this will help prevent the development of complications.

Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical reviewer, therapist of the highest qualification category