In the risk group of those who can be contagious and spend a lot of time in crowded environments, tonsillitis and pharyngitis threaten the health of the person by causing weakness in the body’s immune system. Expressing that these diseases can be easily neutralized with the right diagnosis and treatment, Ear Nose and Throat Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Suat Turgut shares his views on the subject. What is good for tonsillitis, what are the symptoms? Here are the details of the disease!
WHAT IS TONSICLE INFLAMMATION?
Tonsils, medically known as tonsils, are organs of the body’s defense system, located in the mouth at the beginning of the respiratory tract, one on each side. These organs are where microbes (bacteria and viruses) are first held. In case of a decrease in body resistance, the microbes held by the tonsils cannot be destroyed by the tonsils and make the organ sick.
WHAT IS GOOD FOR TONSILLIC INflammation?
Tonsil treatment begins with strengthening the body’s own defense mechanism. Bed rest, adequate fluid intake and nutrition are prerequisites for this. When there is a fever, taking a shower with warm water and applying cotton and compresses moistened with alcohol and cold water to the body are helpful. If these are not sufficient, antipyretic drugs can be used. Bacterial infections may require antibiotic treatments. Oral feeding can be difficult as the tonsils, where the picture is heavy, swell with excessive inflammation and block the airway. In such cases, hospitalization, serum and antibiotic treatment may be required.
SYMPTOMS OF TONSINAL INFLAMMATION
When the tonsil tissue becomes inflamed, some symptoms occur in the body after the toxins belonging to the microbes mix with the blood. These symptoms are; fever, sore throat, weakness, widespread muscle pain in the body, loss of appetite. In addition, due to the inflammation of the tonsils, taste disturbance and bad odor in the mouth also occur.
IS TONSICLE INFLAMMATION CONTAINED?
Inflammation of the tonsils usually occurs in situations such as decreased body resistance, excessive fatigue, excessive physical exercise, insomnia, malnutrition. In such cases, opportunistic bacteria that are harmless in the body lead to infection. In addition, it can be transmitted from an infected person in the form of skin-to-skin contact or droplet infection. Transmission is usually by hands. The disease is transmitted by touching the hands of sick people.
WHEN IS SURGERY NEEDED?
The tonsils (tonsils), which are the defense organs of the body, become an organ where microbes settle and lose their protective function as a result of frequent infections. It becomes inflamed whenever the body’s resistance drops, and it can lead to the disease of many organs in the body. Microbes that reproduce in the tonsils can spread to the joints and cause joint rheumatism, kidney inflammation by spreading to the kidneys, and most dangerously by spreading to the heart valves and membranes, causing heart inflammation.
Because of these risks, we recommend surgery to patients in case of tonsillitis more than 5-6 times a year. Surgery is generally not recommended for children under the age of 3, either. However, if there are signs of sleep apnea such as snoring and shortness of breath due to excessive growth of the tonsils, in addition to frequent tonsil infections, surgery can be performed under the age of 3 years. Generally, 3 years of age is considered the lower limit for surgery.
DOES THE IMMUNE SYSTEM WEAK WHEN TONSTALLS ARE REMOVED?
When the tonsils are removed, the body’s defense mechanism does not weaken. This has been proven by scientific studies. There is no decrease in the hormones of the defense system. In the upper respiratory tract, there are tonsil-like tissues called Waldeyer’s ring. They surround the upper respiratory tract in a circle. There are tonsil tissues in the nasal cavity at the base of the tongue. When the tonsil tissue is removed, they undertake the task by compensating and the lack of tonsils in the body is not felt.
DO REMOVED TONSILS GROW AGAIN?
It does not regrow when completely removed. However, if the tonsil is not completely removed, it can grow back if the piece is left.
WHAT IS PHARENGIT, HOW DOES IT OCCUR?
Pharyngitis is a different condition from tonsillitis. It is milder than tonsillitis. Patients often confuse it with tonsillitis and mislead doctors. For this reason, they may lead to unnecessary tonsil surgeries and the complaints increase after the operation. Pharyngitis is an inflammation of the upper pharynx (pharynx). Burning in the throat, pain in the form of cutting, constant soreness and a feeling of stuck in the throat occur. Patients constantly make throat scraping and clearing movements to eliminate this discomfort. The discomfort increases when cold, hot and spicy foods are taken.
Pharyngitis Treatment Methods
Sometimes pharyngitis is seen together with reflux disease. When the reflux disease is treated, the pharyngitis also improves. For this reason, those with chronic pharyngitis should have their stomach and esophagus checked, and if there is reflux disease due to a problem in the gastric valve, they should be treated first. Pharyngitis can also occur in allergic bodies. In addition to the symptoms listed above, there is a feeling of itching in the throat and palate. If allergy is detected, allergy treatment first may lead to recovery from the disease. In addition, continuous mouth breathing due to problems in the nose and sinuses may also predispose to pharyngitis. Those with pharyngitis symptoms should have their nose and sinuses checked.
The treatment of pharyngitis begins with the treatment of conditions such as nasal bone curvature, sinusitis, allergies and reflux that cause the disease. It is recommended to avoid extremely hot and cold, spicy foods during treatment. In addition, antibiotic treatments, as well as throat soothing lozenges and pain relievers, are beneficial in patients with bacteria detected by throat culture. Quitting this habit of smokers has a positive effect on the treatment of the disease. It is also necessary to stay away from dusty and air polluted environments.
Hands are the most obvious way of transmission in all infectious diseases. Studies have shown that it can be protected from infections by 60-70% by washing hands. Germs in the secretions of sick people are transmitted to the hands and spread in this way. It can also be transmitted through coughing sputum and droplets. However, contamination is less in this way. In addition, adequate rest and nutrition are also important in preventing diseases. The protective effect of hand washing in infectious diseases has been clearly demonstrated in scientific studies.