2024-01-05 09:31:09
Phrases like “mom, my throat hurts” or “I have a sore throat that I can’t even swallow” are heard very often at this time of year. The specialists of the blog “Health and Prevention” focus on the difference between pharyngitis and tonsillitis.
Autumn and winter, with the cold, are the favorite seasons for respiratory viruses, where they circulate most frequently, especially among children. And the dreaded sore throat arrives.
The throat is a muscular tube located in the neck through which food and drinks pass into the esophagus and air into the lungs.
In the throat are the adenoids, better known as vegetations, the tonsils, the pharynx, the larynx, the esophagus and the trachea.
Adenoids and tonsils are part of the lymphatic system that helps fight infections. During childhood they are larger and gradually shrink as the years go by. The most common throat infections that cause inflammation and pain are tonsillitis and pharyngitis.
Sore throat…Why?
Normally the terms sore throat, tonsillitis or pharyngitis are used as if they were the same thing and they are not.
Pharyngitis
The pharyngitis It is an infection caused by a specific bacteria, streptococcus, which causes inflammation of the tonsils and can affect different areas of the throat.
This type of infection is very common among school-age children and adolescents and causes a sore throat, fever of more than 39ºC, swollen glands in the neck and pus in the tonsils, which we normally know as tonsils.
Tonsillitis
The tonsillitis It is inflammation of the tonsils and sore throat is caused by viruses that can cause the throat and the area around the tonsils to become inflamed, but not the tonsils.
Infections due to viruses or bacteria
Throat infections are caused by viruses or bacteria.
In children under three years of age, most infections are viral, “Above the age of three, the famous “pus plaques” also known as “angina” may appear, which are caused by bacteria and whose symptoms are usually mucus, pain when swallowing, cough, hoarse voice and almost always fever, which is usually high when “It is a bacterial infection,” explains the Dr. José Luis Alcaraz, head of Pediatrics at the Quirónsalud Hospital Murcia.
Almost all children have had, have or will have a throat infection throughout their lives, whether viral or bacterial.
He treatment for sore throat It is an anti-inflammatory pain reliever, usually ibuprofen.
In cases of sore throat due to a viral infection, it is not necessary to go to the pediatrician if there is no high fever, only if the child does not respond to painkillers, has difficulty swallowing or the pain is severe.
It must be remembered that any medication must be prescribed by a doctor, to adapt it to the weight and age of the child.
But “As the drug most used in these cases is very common in pediatrics, most parents know the dosage that corresponds to their children, thus, families can cope with these infections with sore throat, fever and discomfort, with this medication. . In case of the famous angina, you have to consult the pediatrician to administer an antibiotic and avoid complications,” points out Dr. Alcaraz.
To determine if there is a strep infection, a test is done. throat culture which consists of touching the back of the throat and tonsils with a swab, the sample is sent to the laboratory to see if there are bacteria; if negative, it means that the infection is viral and antibiotic treatment is not necessary.
Doctor José Luis Alcaráz, head of Pediatrics at the Quirónsalud Hospital in Murcia. Photo provided.
When to operate?
A few years ago, when a child had several throat infections, he or she would undergo surgery to remove the tonsils to prevent further infections.
Now, this type of surgery is rarely performed, “recurrent tonsillitis, more than 7 episodes in a year or more than 3 a year in three years, or if there are complications such as airway obstruction, are the only ones.” cases that would be evaluated by the specialist before performing an intervention,” adds the pediatrician.
Tips to prevent a sore throat
There are many types of contagious throat infections that are transmitted through the air, by breathing, or on the hands of infected children or adults.
It is important to keep children away from people who have symptoms.
Specialists advise as the only prevention against the spread of viral infections to delay the start of daycare, in addition to complying with the vaccination schedule that protects against many bacterial pathogens.
They also recommend that children live outdoors and have a balanced and healthy diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
Although it is inevitable to think of “grandmother’s remedies”, such as milk with honey, chopped onion on the nightstand or gargling with water and salt to relieve or reduce some symptoms such as nighttime cough, although it is not It has been scientifically proven effective, it is true that they produce some relief and, being harmless, they have no contraindications when carrying them out.
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