In childhood and adulthood, for various reasons, there may be a strong or mild swelling of the throat. This condition delivers not only discomfort to the patient, but also causes difficulty in breathing, and in some cases, death.
Why does the throat swell?
The causes of swelling of the throat are very different, but in children and adults they are similar. In childhood, edema is growing faster, and complications are more serious because of the narrowness of the glottis and the weakness of the pharyngeal musculature. The main factors that cause throat swelling are:
- angina and pharyngitis ;
- mechanical or chemical trauma, including bronchoscopy ;
- an allergy to food, a medicine, an insect bite;
- stasis of circulation in the neck;
- problems of the digestive tract and kidneys;
- heart disease;
- effects of x-rays in the neck.
Swelling of the back wall of the throat
When the throat swells, the causes do not always lie on the surface, since this situation is not common. Because it is necessary in an emergency mode to remember their actions in the last hours, which could lead to such a result as a swelling of the throat. When all possible causes are excluded, the probability of hidden, yet undiagnosed diseases is great. If the throat swells on the back wall, and the rest of its surface is in a normal state, then it can be:
- Pharyngitis , when mucous discharge, flow down the back wall and provoke its inflammation and puffiness.
- GERD - gastroesophageal reflux disease, which causes irritation and inflammation of the throat with acid content of the stomach.
- Injury of the throat. In young children, it is not always possible to find out the cause of the injury, and in adults, fish seeds often become a traumatic event.
- Abscess of the forebrain. This disease can be caused by any factors - SARS, sore throat, flu, otitis, hypothermia. On the back wall a furuncle is formed, causing pain when swallowing and swelling of surrounding tissues.
- Thrush or candidiasis sometimes attacks the posterior wall of the larynx.
Swelling of the mucous throat
It is not uncommon for the throat to swell and hurt and the patient needs urgent medical attention. To begin with, it is necessary to conduct anesthesia, and then start to fight the cause that caused swelling of the tissues. Sometimes the inflammatory process involves swelling of the tongue, which causes additional discomfort (uvulitis). This condition can block the access of oxygen and suffocation and can be caused by:
- measles;
- scarlatina ;
- diphtheria;
- angina.
Swelling of the throat and tongue - causes
The worst scenario of the disease, when the patient develops angioedema, the throat swells with the tongue and small tongue, sometimes swelling passes to the neck and lower face and even the genitals. In this case, the patient begins to panic, which further worsens the situation. In this case, there is an allergic swelling of the throat, which requires urgent relief. There can be a reaction to anything, but more often to:
- products (often seafood and bee products);
- medicines (iodine and its derivatives in the first culprits of allergy);
- a bite of an insect.
The causes of the swelling of the throat may be different, and they can not always be established. In this case, it is an idiopathic edema. The main sign of angioedema or edema of Quincke is the absence of pain in the throat. The patient feels panic, suffocation, but does not feel any pain symptoms.
Swelling of the throat - symptoms
Depending on the individual sensitivity, the person can feel the swelling of the throat immediately, especially if there is pain or not feel at all, and only if the breathing problems begin. A sign of an edema is:
- pain while eating while swallowing;
- hoarse, turning into loss of voice;
- barking cough;
- noisy, shortness of breath;
- sweating;
- rapid pulse;
- sensation of something superfluous, foreign in the throat;
- swelling of the face and neck;
- difficulty breathing.
What to do with swelling of the throat?
For the first time faced with this trouble, a person often does not know how to remove the swelling of the throat at home. Sometimes there is time to wait for the doctor to arrive, to prescribe medications that relieve inflammation and swelling, but often it happens that emergency actions are required to save lives. Especially this applies to those who are prone to frequent, relapsing edema, then in the home medicine chest should be drugs that remove the swelling. As a rule, these are antihistamines and some improvised home remedies.
How to relieve throat swelling with laryngitis?
Laryngospasm or laryngitis is a hoarse voice and barking cough that quickly passes into the swelling of the mucous throat and requires immediate relief. This attack happens at night, but it can also occur during the day. Prior to the arrival of physicians, which must be called for, especially when it comes to a child under 5 years of age, first aid should be provided. To do this, you need to know how to remove the swelling of the throat yourself. This is done like this:
- The patient should be seated, having relaxed buttons or a tie on a neck.
- It will take any wet room - a bathroom with hot water or a kitchen. It is good to lower your hands and / or feet into a container of hot water.
- If there is no way to find the natural moisture, you will need to use a special humidifier or boiling kettle.
- The patient must carefully bend over the steam so as not to get burned. Well, if you can throw a little soda into the kettle - alkaline steam acts enveloping and relieves swelling.
- In the warm season you can go out into the air.
- In addition, when swelling is offered, a warmed alkaline drink - Borjomi or milk with soda.
How to remove an allergic swelling of the throat?
When there is swelling of the throat with allergies, you can quickly stop it, giving the patient an antihistamine in a timely manner. You should be careful with the age dosage. If the swelling is caused by an insect bite, then it is necessary to stop the spread of the allergen through the body, applying a tourniquet above the bite site. To remove the attack appoint:
- Diphenhydramine;
- Suprastin;
- Prednisolone;
- adrenaline hydrochloride (for gargling).
The intramuscular injection of drugs is more effective and quicker, but if there are no ampoules, then a syrup or a tablet that you need to chew is suitable. In parallel, you must attach a wet towel to your throat. Swelling of the throat is unsuccessful, sometimes requires artificial respiration before the arrival of health workers.
Swelling of the throat with angina - what to do?
A frequent companion of angina and pharyngitis is swelling and pain in the throat, which prevents swallowing. Swelling of the throat with angina without proper treatment significantly complicates life. This disease shows bed rest and frequent rinses / irrigation of throat drugs, removing inflammation and fighting with microbes that caused the disease. These drugs are used to treat swelling of the throat:
- rinse with soda and salt;
- infusion of chamomile, sage and marigold;
- rinsing with apple cider vinegar and water;
- use of carrot juice and beetroot for rinsing;
- irrigation of the pharynx with chlorophyllipt and rinsing with the use of an oily solution of this preparation;
- use of tablets for resorption.
To someone who often suffers from angina, it makes sense to carry out preventive and hardening measures that will make tissues resistant to viruses. For this we recommend:
- daily rinsing with cold water;
- regular use of ice cream;
- addition to the diet of the vitamin complex several times a year.
- rinse with chamomile, furacilin;
- general hardening procedures in the open air;
- regular treatment of tonsils (lavage washing);
- visit the dentist at least once every six months.
Swelling of the throat in ARVI
Knowing how to treat swelling of the throat, a common cold, accompanied by swelling, will not be taken by surprise. It is impossible to write off the flow of soft tissues from accounts - this symptom requires attention and elimination. When treating ARVI, the throat is rinsed with infusions of such herbs as:
- sage:
- yarrow;
- St. John's wort;
- chamomile.
Spray irrigation is shown, among which are effective:
- Chlorophyllipt;
- Ingallipt;
- Cameton;
- Orapept.