Sore throat is one of the most common infectious diseases that affects our tonsils (tonsils). In the medical literature you can find another name for this diagnosis: acute tonsillitis. Purulent sore throat in an adult is an infectious disease that is provoked by pathogenic microorganisms, namely hemolytic streptococci of groups A and B, and less commonly staphylococci.
The disease is extremely contagious. The disease is transmitted not only by airborne droplets. You can become infected through contact when sharing the same dishes or towels with a sick person. Both children and adults are susceptible to the disease.
This disease has a clearly defined seasonality and most often appears in the autumn-spring period.
Despite the fact that many people treat the diagnosis of “acute tonsillitis” as something natural and commonplace, nevertheless, this disease is not as simple as it seems. If there is a careless attitude towards it, when proper treatment of purulent sore throat in adults is not carried out, severe complications can develop, involving associated organs (kidneys, joints and myocardium - heart muscle) in the chronic inflammatory process.
Why does infection occur?
In the vast majority of cases (60-80%), the causative agent of the disease is streptococcus bacteria. Less commonly - staphylococci and pneumococci. There are always microorganisms throughout the human body and in the palatine tonsils in particular. When a person’s health is normal and his immunity is not weakened, they do not manifest themselves in any way. But as soon as the body’s defenses fail in the presence of factors predisposing to the disease, pathogens become more active. If a person shows the first signs of a sore throat, it means that pathogenic microorganisms have penetrated deep into the tonsils and triggered the inflammation mechanism.
The reasons that provoke the inflammatory process include:
- prolonged exposure to the cold, cold drinks or food (sometimes it is enough to eat ice cream or fall asleep with the air conditioner on);
- tonsil injuries;
- reduced immunity;
- lack of full breathing through the nose due to the anatomical features of a person (adenoids, polyps, cysts in the nose and nasopharynx);
- inflammation present in the body;
- bad habits, especially smoking;
- unfavorable environmental conditions;
- unfavorable working conditions.
Rinsing the tonsils with a syringe
This method is the most common and accessible. It will be offered to you at the local clinic. The essence of the technique is as follows: an ENT doctor, using a needle-free syringe, injects an antiseptic drug into the lacunae of the tonsils, which, together with the purulent masses from the lacunae, is washed into the patient’s oral cavity. The patient spits the solution into a special tray, and the ENT doctor repeats the procedure. Upon completion, the tonsils are lubricated with Lugol's solution.
The disadvantage of the procedure is that it is not possible to thoroughly rinse the lacunae, since the openings in the tonsils are very narrow. This rinsing helps with minor purulent accumulations.
The manipulation should be carried out by an experienced ENT doctor. Inept movements can injure the walls of the tonsils, which will only worsen the patient’s condition.
Recently, in modern ENT clinics this technique is used less and less, mainly in cases where the patient has a pronounced gag reflex.
It is much more effective to rinse the tonsils using a vacuum method using the Tonsillor apparatus.
Types of purulent sore throat
In otorhinolaryngology, several forms of the disease are distinguished: catarrhal, follicular, lacunar, and phlegmous, ulcerative-necrotic, dental and latent (Simanovsky-Plaut-Vincent). Immediately after diagnosis, qualified treatment of the disease should be started on the same day in adults and children, regardless of the form of the disease. In this article we will describe the most basic forms of sore throat.
With follicular tonsillitis, the tonsils become greatly enlarged, and purulent spots appear on their surface. The disease begins rapidly with a sharp rise in temperature to 40°C. The lymph nodes become enlarged, and when pressed on them the patient experiences discomfort. The patient is overcome by headaches, “aches” throughout the body and general malaise.
With lacunar angina, purulent masses penetrate into the thickness of the entire tonsil, filling its lacunae. To the symptoms of follicular tonsillitis, a reaction from the gastrointestinal tract is added: vomiting, diarrhea, nausea. A characteristic yellowish coating is noticeable on the tonsils, upon removal of which the patient feels improvement and the body temperature drops.
Phlegmonous is the most severe form of the disease. It is characterized by the accumulation of purulent masses in the tonsil, the patient’s temperature reaches 40°C. In parallel, swelling of the neck and perimaxillary area occurs. Possible respiratory arrest. The patient experiences severe pain: it becomes impossible to speak or swallow. The patient must be immediately sent to hospital, since in the absence of prompt assistance there is a risk of death.
Such a division, of course, is quite arbitrary, since one type of disease can transform into another and cause serious health problems (provided that qualified treatment of the disease is not provided to adults).
Rinse rules
How to gargle correctly for a sore throat? The temperature of the solution should approach 36 degrees. A hotter liquid can damage the mucous membrane and cause a burn. A cold solution may slightly reduce pain by blocking receptors, but local immune defenses are reduced. As a result, pathogenic microorganisms begin to multiply more actively, meaning treatment will take longer.
Rinsing for purulent sore throat can be done using different methods. The usual technique boils down to the following: a person, having filled his mouth with liquid, seems to be trying to clearly pronounce the letter “O”. The first portions of the product can be immediately spat out, but the next portions must be kept in the mouth. This is necessary for a longer effect on the affected tonsils.
Thorough gargling for purulent sore throat is carried out as follows: after taking liquid into your mouth, you need to throw your head back and try to clearly pronounce “GLU”, stretching one sip into several stages. This method ensures thorough rinsing of the back of the pharynx, tonsils and root of the tongue.
One gargle for tonsillitis and sore throat requires about a glass of the chosen medicine. This volume is sufficient for mechanical cleansing of the tonsils.
While rinsing, you should try to pronounce the sounds “YYYYY” - in this case, the medicine will be able to wash away pathogens from all parts of the oral cavity. The head should be tilted back strongly, while the tongue should be pulled forward.
With lacunar or follicular sore throat, you have to gargle the sore throat until recovery, that is, until the palate, tonsils and vocal folds are cleared of plaque and fungal deposits. How long this will take depends on the severity of the disease (the average duration of the period is from 3 to 10 days).
When using this or that product, contraindications must be taken into account. This information is always indicated in the instructions that come with the drug.
Symptoms
The first signs of the disease appear almost immediately (from ten hours to a day from the moment of infection!). Symptoms of purulent tonsillitis first appear similar to the symptoms of ordinary tonsillitis. The patient tries to cure a sore throat by gargling, but such measures have no effect. Then the following symptoms appear:
- high body temperature (up to 40°C);
- “lump” in the throat, increasing pain in the throat: ranging from a slight soreness to a “pain” when swallowing;
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
- enlarged lymph nodes, pain when pressing on them;
- tonsil hypertrophy;
- the appearance of purulent plaque or pustules on the surface of the tonsils;
- pronounced intoxication of the body - the patient loses appetite, feels weak and lethargic.
Patients need to remember the first and main rule: it is necessary to treat purulent sore throat immediately: the sooner you start treating the disease, the faster the recovery will come, and the risk of developing pathologies will be minimized.
The therapeutic effect of rinsing
Anyone can gargle, with the exception of children under 3 years of age (not every child is able to cope with the procedure without swallowing the solution or choking). The main advantages of this treatment method are as follows:
- powerful symptomatic effect;
- mitigation of symptoms of intoxication;
- ensuring long-term therapeutic action;
- washing away plaque from tonsils and softening plugs;
- reduction of inflammation;
- destruction of pathogenic fungi.
The symptomatic effect of rinsing is that after the procedure the soreness in the throat, as well as burning and soreness, decreases. Wounds and microcracks on the mucous membrane heal.
A reduction in general intoxication is achieved due to the fact that the concentration of toxins released by pathogenic organisms decreases. The rinsing procedure is a mechanical washout of viruses and bacteria from the tonsil area. In addition, drugs create an unfavorable environment for microorganisms, thereby ensuring a prolonged therapeutic effect. For purulent sore throat, it is rinsing that helps eliminate pus and get rid of the unpleasant taste and odor from the mouth.
Complications with purulent sore throat
The disease is dangerous due to its complications, which can affect not only the respiratory system, but also spread to other human organs.
One of the common pathologies is the transition from an acute form of the disease to a chronic form (chronic tonsillitis). In chronic tonsillitis, inflammation is constantly present in the tonsils, and exacerbations occur 2-3 times a year, and in severe cases, more often.
Delayed treatment of the disease can lead to inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis), joint diseases (rheumatoid arthritis) and kidneys (glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis). It is possible that a sore throat may develop into an abscess. This happens when the infectious pathogen has little space in the thickness of the palatine tonsil, and streptococcus begins to look for new sites for itself. Thus, inflammation can move to the paratonsillar and parapharyngeal tissue and provoke a paratonsillar or parapharyngeal abscess.
The pathologies listed above are powerful arguments for promptly starting treatment for purulent tonsillitis.
Rinses
What you can gargle with a sore throat, the attending physician must decide. He will select the optimal remedy, taking into account the characteristics of the disease. After this, you can search for medications online on our website and place an order in the same way.
Sometimes it happens that a person is not helped at all by a drug that is effective in most cases. However, the doctor will definitely select another medicine that will definitely have an effect. Over time, it will become clear what is better to gargle for tonsillitis in this particular case.
Rinsing with a modified Tonsillor nozzle
This method of washing will not be offered to you in any of the clinics in Moscow, except for the ENT Clinic of Doctor Zaitsev! An improved, modified attachment for the Tonsillor apparatus was developed by the founder of the ENT clinic, Vladimir Mikhailovich Zaitsev, together with his colleagues. The operating principle of the new nozzle is absolutely the same as that of the classic nozzle. The difference is in its structure:
- the improved “Tonsillor” nozzle creates greater negative pressure, due to which rinsing the tonsils is much more effective and of better quality;
- the edges of the nozzle in contact with the tonsils do not cause damage or microtrauma;
- The cup of the nozzle into which the washing solution with the purulent contents of the lacunae is sucked in is transparent, and the doctor immediately sees at what point the procedure can be stopped. Thus, the patient does not undergo unnecessary manipulations.
- The size of the nozzle allows washing even for children.
It is necessary to rinse the tonsils only with the participation of an otolaryngologist. We do not recommend self-medication!
In order to forget about the symptoms of chronic tonsillitis for a long time, it is necessary to undergo a full comprehensive course of treatment of chronic inflammation, including, in addition to rinsing, drug therapy and physiotherapeutic procedures. This is the only way to preserve the tonsils and achieve stable remission!
Vacuum washing method
The vacuum method of rinsing using the Tonsillor apparatus is the most modern way to rinse the lacunae of the tonsils.
In simple terms, the nozzle of the Tonsillor device works on the principle of a vacuum cleaner. It is attached to the tonsil, the device creates negative pressure. The washing solution, passing through the lacunae of the tonsils, washes out their pathogenic contents, which, together with the waste solution, are sucked into a special cup of the nozzle. That is, the solution is used and passes through the tonsils only once, which confirms the sterility of the manipulation. Before washing, topical anesthesia of the tonsils is performed with lidocaine solution.
Despite the effectiveness of vacuum washing, this method is not without its drawbacks:
- it happens that the edges of the nozzle can injure the surface of the tonsil;
- The walls of the cup, where the washing solution that has passed through the tonsils is evacuated, is opaque, and the doctor cannot see whether the tonsils have been completely washed. As a result, the ENT doctor has to carry out additional procedures to certainly clear the lacunae.
A reasonable question arises: “Is washing the tonsils always associated with some risks?” No! There is another way to wash the tonsils - safe, effective and non-traumatic. This is the use of an improved Tonsillor attachment.
