Throat Inflammation

Throat inflammation is the inflammation of the two masses of tissue called tonsils which are located at the back of throat. It’s called tonsillitis or quinsy. The disease could be acute, subacute or chronic. The acute type of the disease occurs due to viral or bacterial infections. In the long run, the chronic types may cause side-effects such as:

1. Acute Articular Rheumatism
2. Kidney Inflammation
3. Damage to Heart Valves

This disease is common especially in childhood. It is seen among the children under the age of 3 because of viral infections. Inflammation caused by Streptococcus is common between the ages 5 and 10, especially in winter and is highly contagious.

Symptoms of Throat Inflammation

. Sore throat or throat ache
. In some cases, earache
. Difficulty swallowing
. Fever
. Headache
. Hoarseness

Diagnosis

The disease should be diagnosed clinically. The symptoms on throat and tonsils are clear. Throat culture may be needed for definitive diagnosis. In order to diagnose Streptococcus bacteria, RADT should be applied for antigen detection. Blood count may also show the cause.

Treatment for Throat Inflammation

Antibiotics are very useful for throat inflammation. In most cases, medication between 7-10 days treats the patient. If it’s recurrent, throat culture should be needed in order to diagnose Streptococcus infection. If the disease cannot be treated with these methods, tonsillectomy may be applied.

Surgery for Throat Inflammation

Tonsillectomy is applied when enlarged tonsils cause upper airway obstruction, difficulty swallowing or recurrent throat ache and recurrent throat inflammation.