Pharyngitis: what it is, symptoms and treatment

Pharyngitis

Woman with pharyngitis

The pharynx is a muscular-walled tube located inside the neck. Oxygen and food pass through it.

Drastic climatic changes, which are increasingly common, can attack the pharynx and expose it to infections such as pharyngitis, which causes throat irritation and inflammation.

Epidemiological studies have revealed that pharyngitis affects more than 1.8 billion people annually. Given the high probability of suffering from it at some point in life, it is necessary to know the cause, its symptoms, treatment and prevention.

What is pharyngitis?

Pharyngitis is an inflammation of the pharynx, the back of the throat that connects the nose and mouth to the windpipe.

It is a common condition that can be caused by a variety of factors, mainly viral or bacterial infections. It usually has a sudden onset where its annoying symptoms develop.

What types of pharyngitis are there?

Some types of pharyngitis that are recognized are these:

What are the causes?

Among the most frequent causes of this pharyngeal infection we find these:

What are the causes of pharyngitis?

Among the most frequent causes of this pharyngeal infection we find these:

Symptoms of pharyngitis

Pharyngitis is revealed by the presence of these symptoms:

Diagnosis of pharyngitis

For the diagnosis of pharyngitis, the health professional combines a visual examination with analytical techniques. Some of the procedures used are the following:

Effective treatment

The protocol for the treatment includes a series of home measures together with the use of some drugs, such as:

How can pharyngitis be prevented?

Adopting some healthy habits can help prevent this disease. Some of them are:

Pharyngitis brings millions of people to health care facilities each year. However, with prevention, the bitter pill of this throat infection can be avoided.

Bibliography

Fornes Vivas, Rosa, Robledo Díaz, Luis, Carvajal Roca, Eva, Navarro Juanes, Agustín, & Pérez Feito, Carlos (2019). Usefulness of clinical criteria for the proper diagnosis of pharyngotonsillitis in pediatric emergency. Revista Española de Salud Pública, 93, e201911061. Epub September 07, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2024, from http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1135-57272019000100029&lng=es&tlng=es.
Josep M. Cotsa,j, Juan-Ignacio Alósb,k, Mario Bárcenac,l, Xavier Boledad,m, José L. Cañadae,n, Niceto Gómezf,o, Ana Mendozag,m, Isabel Vilasecah,o, Carles Llori,j. (2015). Recommendations for the management of acute adult pharyngotonsillitis. Medicina de Familia. SEMERGEN. Vol. 41. no. 7, pages 370-381. Retrieved on May 31, 2024, from https://www.elsevier.es/es-revista-medicina-familia-semergen-40-articulo-recomendaciones-el-manejo-faringoamigdalitis-aguda-S1138359315000477

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