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Purulent angina in children
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Each type of disease has a common symptomatology, but it has its own peculiarities. Purulent angina in children is fairly simple to determine - on the tonsils there are characteristic pustular lesions of gray-yellow color. Pustules can look like a small rash or merge into large lesions.
Angina, or tonsillitis is the most common disease among children of any age. It is provoked by pathogenic microorganisms (pneumococci, staphylococcus, adenovirus, streptococcus), most often affected are the amygdala.
Angina is divided into several types: herpetic, purulent, necrotic, catarrhal.
This type of tonsillitis is divided into lacunar and follicular.
Purulent sore throat usually affects children of preschool and primary school age and proceeds quite heavily.
The disease begins with a perspiration in the throat, soreness in swallowing, weakness, rising temperature to critical levels. Cough, runny nose, swelling and tenderness of the tonsils, lymph nodes can also appear.
Another companion of the disease is joint and muscle pain, as well as pain in the heart. In addition, the baby has an unpleasant smell from the mouth and a grayish coating on the tongue.
Causes of purulent sore throat in children
Purulent angina in children often occurs due to the bacteria (staphylococcus, pneumococcus, diplococcus, streptococcus, etc.). All these microorganisms are present in a small amount in the nasopharynx of each person, which is the norm.
The disease can lead to increased activity of pathogenic microflora, which can be triggered by influenza viruses, adenoviruses, and weakened immunity.
It is usually provoked by microbes that live on the tonsils and mucous throat, so after the removal of the tonsils the disease does not develop.
In addition, there are a number of factors that can increase the likelihood of purulent angina in children: hypothermia, severe climate changes, contaminated air, dampness, poisoning of the body of all kinds, excessive sun exposure, poor living conditions, unhealthy diet, fatigue.
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Symptoms of purulent sore throat in children
Purulent angina in children has several main symptoms, among which general weakness, pain and sore throat, difficulty in swallowing, high fever (up to 400C).
When examining the throat, you can see enlarged tonsils, a purulent coating on them. In severe form, the plaque affects the entire surface of the tonsils. It should be noted that in the first day after the disease there may simply be enlarged tonsils.
Purulent angina in infants may occur due to hypothermia, especially if the baby's immunity is not sufficiently trained. Most of the pathogens that provoke the disease are normally present in the body, but adverse factors such as hypothermia, overwork, malnutrition, can activate the growth of bacteria.
In a one-year-old child, it can develop after a viral infection or because of adenoids.
Frequent purulent angina in children can occur with weakened immunity, especially against the backdrop of unhealthy diet, low-activity lifestyle.
In addition, one of the causes of pathology can be frequent colds or the presence of a chronic inflammation, most often in the nasopharynx (sinusitis, sinusitis, otitis, adenoids, carious teeth).
Frequent diseases, intoxication of the body, caused by tonsillitis, significantly affect the immunity, so it is extremely important to pay attention to the recovery period (adequate sleep, adequate nutrition, walking outdoors). If during the recovery period the baby is overcooled, it will be bad to eat, have little rest, then the probability of frequent repeated episodes of the development of angina is increased.
Complications after the illness are difficult to treat. Among the frequent complications that may occur after tonsillitis is a contamination of the blood, heart disease, kidneys, rheumatism, arthritis, toxic shock.
With the repeated development of pathology or with incomplete treatment, the child may have chronic inflammatory diseases. It is also worth noting that long-term use of antibiotics leads to a decrease in the protective function of the body.
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Diagnosis of purulent sore throat in children
Purulent angina in children is diagnosed first of all on examination with a specialist. The child's eyes turn red, the face (which is typical for high fever), the tongue appears on the tongue, the lips become dry, the tonsils enlarged, reddened. The tongue can acquire a bright crimson shade. Also, during a palpation, a doctor can reveal enlarged and painful lymph nodes, a rapid pulse.
To confirm the diagnosis, additional tests (blood, urine, smears from the throat) are appointed, which will help determine the pathogens and prescribe effective treatment.
With an untreated condition, purulent angina passes into a chronic form, in which the clinical symptoms are not so pronounced (usually there is nausea, upset of the stool, an increase in some lymph nodes, not high fever, poor appetite).
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Treatment of purulent sore throat in children
As already mentioned, purulent angina in children is divided into follicular and lacunar. Both forms of the disease greatly worsen the baby's well-being. One of the differences of follicular tonsillitis is the yellow pustules on the tonsils, with lacunar form lacunae located between the almond lobes, pustules in this case have a white-yellow hue.
Treatment in both cases is almost the same, the main task is to choose the right antibacterial drug.
In tonsillitis, a specialist should prescribe a crop that will determine the sensitivity of the microorganisms that provoked the disease to one or another drug.
In very severe conditions or when it is impossible to make a bacterial culture. Antibiotics of a wide spectrum of action are prescribed.
As a rule, children from 1 to 3 years of age are assigned inpatient care under the supervision of a specialist, and the basis for hospitalization is a serious condition of the child, concomitant diseases.
At a high temperature, antipyretic agents (paracetamol, ibuprofen, etc.) are prescribed, at a high temperature (more than 38.50 ° C) it is necessary to give the infant an antipyretic and call an ambulance. Small children are prescribed drugs in the form of syrup or sech, scary - in the form of syrup or tablets.
Other medications for the treatment of angina are prescribed by a specialist, usually an antibacterial preparation, local agents (inhalation sprays, resorption tablets, rinsing solutions, etc.), as well as a vitamin and mineral complex.
Of the antibiotics often prescribed penicillin, phenoxymethyl, clarithromycin, amoxicillin, erythromycin. First of all, antibiotics of the penicillin group are prescribed, if these preparations have an allergy or an agent that is not sensitive to them, drugs from the macrolide group (erythromycin) are prescribed. Cephalosporin drugs (ceftriaxone) are prescribed in the case where the first two groups did not show the proper effect or the causative agent showed resistance to antibiotics of this group.
The course of antibiotics usually takes 7-10 days.
When tonsillitis is not recommended to put warming compresses on the throat, because the flow of blood to the lesion can trigger the spread of infection throughout the body.
Rinse throat is one of the main methods of treatment. You can prepare solutions for rinsing yourself or purchase a mixture in a pharmacy.
Often when sore throat is prescribed a soda solution with the addition of salt and iodine, which helps to reduce pain (200ml of water, 1 teaspoon of salt and soda, a few drops of iodine). Rinse with soda solution can be done five times a day. For rinses, a solution of furacilin is well suited, which can be used an unlimited number of times.
The solution with propolis tincture (200 ml of water and a few drops of tincture), manganese solution (200 ml of water and manganese at the tip of the knife), dentin, eucalyptus tincture (15 drops, 200 ml of water) is a good solution.
Pediatricians recommend gargling as often as possible, while alternating solutions.
With purulent angina, rinses help to remove pus from the tonsils, which poisons the blood and reduces the effectiveness of drugs, in addition, pustules lead to strong intoxication of the body.
Also, with tonsillitis is recommended abundant warm (not hot) drink. Give the baby you can compote of dried fruits, tea with raspberries, honey or lemon. Warm drinks will not only help to warm and soften the sore throat, but also to remove toxins from the body. If there is no temperature, at night you can give warm milk with honey and butter, which will soften the throat and relieve inflammation.
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Prevention of purulent sore throat in children.
For prevention, it is recommended to enhance the body's protective functions and follow the principles of a healthy lifestyle - walking outdoors, physical activity, a healthy and balanced diet, eating more vegetables, fruits (if necessary, you can drink a course of vitamin and mineral complex).
Also, do not overcool, keep your throat warm.
Prognosis of purulent sore throat in children
Purulent angina in children occurs in severe form and can lead to complications. Therefore, after recovery, it is recommended to undergo an examination (electrocardiogram, blood tests, urine tests), it is also worth consulting with such children's specialists as an immunologist, nephrologist, rheumatologist.
As a rule, with the timely and fully begun treatment of the child, the disease completely passes. If treatment has not been brought to an end, then tonsillitis can go into a chronic form and lead to a number of complications.
Purulent angina in children is a common pathology, which requires compulsory treatment. The disease is dangerous for the health of the baby with its complications, both early (otitis, abscesses), and distant (rheumatism, arthritis, etc.)