Pharyngitis is an inflammation of the back wall of the throat. The main reason: inhalation of cold or polluted air, the influence of chemical irritations (alcohol, tobacco).
In the human body, the main role in the occurrence of acute pharyngitis is played by microbes (streptococci, staphylococci, pneumococci) and viruses (influenza, adenoviruses); not often the inflammatory process also extends to the pharynx from the nasal cavity and its paranasal sinuses with a runny nose, sinusitis.
Clinical manifestations:
- dryness in the throat;
- pain when swallowing, especially with an “empty throat”;
- body temperature is normal or can be increased to 37.7 C.
Chronic pharyngitis can be simple, hypertrophic, atrophic in clinical manifestations.
The main causes of chronic pharyngitis:
- repeated acute diseases of the pharynx;
- chronic diseases of the nose and its paranasal sinuses, tonsils;
- prolonged irritation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx when smoking, also with the abuse of alcohol, exposure to dust, harmful gases, hypothermia;
- metabolic disorders, diabetes;
- diseases of the intestines, stomach, heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.
Conservative treatment: this is the elimination of causative factors; rinsing or irrigating the pharynx with alkaline solutions (inhalations), obligatory lubrication of the posterior pharyngeal wall with Lugol’s solution in glycerin, plenty of warm drink, diet (non-irritating soft food).