If there is pain in the throat, not many are in a hurry to seek help from a doctor. Most often the emphasis is on self-medication with all sorts of improvised drugs and folk remedies. The maximum effect that can be achieved is to eliminate for a while the painful sensations and discomfort in the throat.
Most often, unpleasant symptoms return the next day and the result from self-treatment has not happened. What is the cause of the pain in the throat?
Physiology of the process
If you woke up in the morning, you found that you have a sore throat and there were significant difficulties with swallowing, then most likely the mucosa is actively developing inflammation.
The most common sore throat is caused by viral and bacterial infections.
During the infection on a healthy mucous membrane, active multiplication of pathogenic bacteria begins to occur.
Possible causes of
A variety of factors and diseases can contribute to the onset of sore throat. In many cases, this problem occurs due to colds or hypothermia. However, it is not excluded and the impact of diseases of a different nature.
In many cases, people prefer to treat colds themselves, resorting to the use of warm drinks, drugs that eliminate unpleasant symptoms and bed rest. Sometimes this approach to solving the problem really helps, but it can not be lucky to everyone.
The thing is that the sore throat is almost always accompanied by the fact that it is painful and unpleasant for a person to swallow - be it soft food or drink. Such a symptom may indicate various mechanical injuries, burns of the mucosa. Also, the lack of improvements within a few days can indicate the presence of tumors or a neglected inflammatory process.
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Inflammatory infectious diseases
Infections of various nature are most common in the fall or winter. During this period, human immunity is most weakened and is susceptible to the influence of harmful microorganisms, viruses.
In many cases, an acute respiratory disease begins with a primitive sore throat. Within a few days the infectious process begins to actively progress, which directly leads to a deterioration in the general state of the person and the weakening of the immune system.
Allergic reactions
Manifestation of an allergic reaction people are often confused with a prolonged cold or ARVI.However, the symptoms of allergies and a specific infectious disease are somewhat different. To distinguish an allergy it is possible so:
- pershenie in a throat;
- dry cough;
- clogged nose;
- dryness of mucous membranes;
- clear discharge from the nose;
- burning eyes;
- sore throat - redness;
- narrowing of the airway lumen;
- no temperature.
Throat injury
Trauma to the larynx is a damage or fracture that occurred due to various circumstances. Trauma of the larynx can occur both from the inside and outside.
The pain syndrome that occurs after a lesion has a slightly different character from the pain that we are accustomed to when the respiratory disease occurs.
So, trauma to the throat can be observed with:
- punch with a fist or blunt object;
- drop;
- attempted strangulation;
- accident;
- unsuccessful medical manipulations;
- burns by accidental inhalation of chemicals and solutions;
- ingestion of foreign bodies.
External influence
Unpleasant sensations in the throat appear and due to the careless attitude of a person to himself. So, in some cases, discomfort in the throat appears in such cases:
- Insufficiently moist room - excessively dry air provokes that mucous throats actively lose moisture and become dry. It causes shortness of breath, provokes perspiration, coughing.
- Love for hot food - the constant use of hot food and drinks leads to burns not only on the mucous throat, but also on the walls of the esophagus. This negative effect provokes the development of a number of gastrointestinal diseases.
- Burn hot steam - can lead to serious consequences. Very often such injuries are received through carelessness and inattention. For early healing, consultation with a doctor and properly prescribed treatment are necessary.
Neoplasms
Tumors in the throat are rare. Their presence is characterized by an unceasing pain in the throat and a sense of the presence of a foreign body inside. Cough is absent completely, there may be swelling without redness. In some cases, there is a loss of voice.
Other causes of
Sore throat may appear quite unexpectedly and even in those cases when a person literally the day before the event felt completely healthy. Such reasons may be:
- Creek - a constant tearing of the throat and vocal cords is capable of causing peculiar micro-traumas that cause unpleasant painful sensations.
- Pollution - emissions, exhaust fumes, tobacco smoke can irritate the person's airways. With their constant exposure, a person may have some symptoms of allergic attacks, namely, cough and sore throat.
- HIV infection - sore throat may occur with secondary infection of a particular disease, such as stomatitis or cytomegalovirus-type infections.
Difficult to swallow and sore throat - as a symptom of
Difficulties in swallowing that accompanies sore throat are usually due to the presence of infectious diseases. If they are present, in addition to the main symptoms, there are additional symptoms - temperature, cough, weakness and other.
Angina
Disease, which is characterized by reddening of the tonsils and their increase in size. In a patient with angina, there is a chill, pain in swallowing, a sensation of a coma in the throat, and also a strong weakness.
Pharyngitis
A disease in which a person suffers from perspiration and sore throat. The main symptom of pharyngitis is the formation of mucus, which is poorly separated and exits the body by coughing.
Parathonsillar abscess
With this ailment, there is a throbbing pain in the throat, which does not pass for a long time. There is a strong pain when feeling the neck, tonsils. Serious edema is also observed.
Laryngitis
Characterized by rapid loss of voice. With this disease, it is extremely difficult for a patient to swallow and talk. There is a strong reddening of the throat.
Scarlet fever
Predominantly is a child's disease, in which there is a sore throat, fever and a profuse rash.
Other causes of
Among the other reasons that can cause the appearance of sore throat:
- ARVI - characterized by a sore throat with a strong cough. There is a copious rhinitis with a high fever. Possible fever, severe weakness, vomiting.
- ARD - differs from other ailments in that it provokes inflammation of the entire pharyngeal mucosa. There is severe pain in the throat, difficulty in swallowing. Cough, runny nose and mucous edema are also observed.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis for complaints of pain in the throat involves the collection of anamnesis for doctors, as well as examination of the patient's throat. If necessary, additional tests are prescribed.
Simple diagnostic tests for those who are difficult to swallow:
Treatment
Treatment for sore throats that have an infectious nature is as follows:
- reception of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs;
- application of solutions and sprays;
- use of antipyretic;
- physiotherapy;
- intake of a course of vitamins and immunostimulants.
If necessary, can be used:
- antihistamines;
- pain relievers;
- warming compresses;
- inhalation nebulizer;
- steam inhalation.
The patient should be treated only by the attending physician. Departure from the recommendations may have the opposite effect.
Than such a state is dangerous
Ignoring the painful symptoms and lack of treatment can provoke a sharp deterioration in the patient's condition. In such cases, the disease begins to actively progress, giving its results. So, at an infectious problem such complications can be observed:
- a tonsillitis of purulent type;
- rheumatic heart disease;
- kidney disease;
- pneumonia;
- chronic bronchitis.
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Forecast
With timely access to a doctor and with all the prescriptions, the problem recedes. Especially easy to treat the disease of an infectious and viral nature.
Prevention
Preventative measures include some rules that will help to guard against repetition of the problem. These include not only the observance of the right way of life, but also the following points:
- quitting smoking;
- visit to the doctor if there are any suspicious symptoms;
- humidification of air;
- warm clothes.
It should be remembered that even an innocuous sore throat should not encourage self-medication and uncontrolled intake of medications. It should also be noted that any disease can not be carried on legs.