Angina is an infectious disease,It is characterized by local manifestations, such as an increase and inflammation of the tonsils. Most often, tonsils are enlarged in children and in youth (up to the age of thirty-five). The cause of this disease can be bacteria, viruses or fungi, but more often - streptococci.
Inflammation of the tonsils in children happens with the following conditions:
- simple angina, when only the lymphoid ring of the oropharynx is affected;
- sore throats secondary, when tonsils are affected in the course of development of acute infectious diseases, such as diphtheria, scarlet fever, blood diseases and so on;
- angina specific, for example, fungal origin.
In everyday life, the term "angina" is usually used to meansimple primary angina (or acute tonsillitis). If the lesion is more extensive, that is, goes beyond the palatine tonsils, then the term "pharyngitis" is used. Tonsillitis occurs both acute and chronic. In acute tonsillitis, tonsils are enlarged in children only during the disease, whereas in chronic cases they are constantly enlarged.
The meaning of the existence of tonsils inthe body is in the formation of immunity. As adults grow, the tonsils in children play an increasingly less important role in immune defense, and eventually this role ceases to be significant. Their intensive growth occurs from the first year of life to the third. In addition, tonsils, enlarged in children, and also in adults, also sometimes become a soil for the development of bacterial microflora, and as a consequence, a chronic infection develops. In eighty-five percent of cases, the pathogens of acute angina are A-streptococci, much inferior to them in the frequency of staphylococci and pneumococci. The infection uses as a way to penetrate into the body the lymphoid tissue of the oropharynx, because it is to such tissue that A-streptococci have a very high tropism (that is, the ability to fix themselves on the surface of the cell). Their pathogenic effect leads to the destruction of the tonsils and the further development of angina. And the products of streptococcus-A (toxins) exchange, getting into the blood, cause damage to the nervous and cardiovascular systems of children.
The causes of the origin of the primary focus and the further development of the lesion are:
- child's hypothermia;
- reduction of its immune response (this is often caused by stress, and especially chronic);
- too dry air in the premises;
- in the transferred respiratory viral infections (since viruses strongly oppress the function of protecting the cells of the epithelium).
And if the tonsils are enlarged in children constantly, thenyou can be sure that often recurring tonsillitis led to the development of chronic tonsillitis. This means that dead cells and bacteria exchange products accumulated in the depressions of the tonsil sheath, which led to inflammation of the surrounding tissues.
The main symptoms of acute tonsillitis:
- specific symptoms: there is and gradually builds up pain in the neck, in the upper part of it, which increases with swallowing, with yawning, it can also irradiate into the ear;
- common symptoms are pain in the head, temperature, increased salivation and voice changes.
And with chronic tonsillitis symptoms are very different:
- pain, although it may be absent altogether;
- difficulty swallowing;
- an unpleasant smell comes from his mouth;
- the taste can be gradually distorted;
- general symptoms are expressed in a decrease in activity and ability to concentrate attention.
Acute sore throats are catarrhal(characterized by superficial lesions), follicular (on their surface during examination, pustules are noticeable), lacunar (pustules merge into lacunae) and necrotic (tonsil tissue dies, necrosis can spread beyond the tonsils). These forms pass in the absence of treatment from the lighter to the more severe. Therefore, if you notice tonsils enlarged in children, then do not need to waste time and do self-medication - as soon as possible you need to see a doctor.
In the hospital, the child is examined, antimicrobial therapy is prescribed, the solutions are washed with antiseptics of affected tonsils, imunomodulators, anti-inflammatory agents and vitamins.
