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Acute pharyngitis
Is acute pharyngitis contagious?
Acute pharyngitis can be contagious. Generally, it can spread through the respiratory or digestive systems. If the patient shows symptoms of fever and throat pain, isolation is required. Typically, isolation lasts for 3-5 days. Acute pharyngitis is caused by a viral or bacterial infection, leading to symptoms in the throat as well as systemic symptoms. The patient may experience sudden high fever, with body temperature above 38°C, and severe throat pain. Other symptoms include dry throat, sore throat, itchy throat, sensation of a foreign body in the throat, and a feeling of obstruction. During an examination with an electronic laryngoscope, the mucous membranes in the throat may be found to be congested and significantly swollen, with pus-like secretions present on the posterior pharyngeal wall. For treatment, an examination using an electronic laryngoscope and a routine blood test are first required. If there is an increase in white blood cells, symptomatic anti-inflammatory treatment and oral antibiotics are needed. If lymphocytes are elevated, symptomatic antiviral treatment is required, and recovery can generally occur within about a week. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a professional doctor.)
The difference between acute pharyngitis and chronic pharyngitis
The differentiation between acute pharyngitis and chronic pharyngitis mainly involves the following aspects: First, the onset duration. Generally, acute pharyngitis has a short onset, often sudden, and typically lasts about a week; whereas chronic pharyngitis tends to have a longer duration of illness, possibly involving repeated episodes, usually lasting from one to three months or more. Second, in terms of clinical symptoms, acute pharyngitis usually presents sudden onset of throat pain, which can be relatively severe; chronic pharyngitis may involve pain, but it is generally milder and recurrent, fluctuating, with some patients experiencing a sensation of a foreign body or itchiness in the throat. Third, it can be diagnosed through laryngoscopic examination.
Symptoms of acute pharyngitis
The symptoms of acute pharyngitis are multifaceted. Initially, the onset of the disease is quite sudden. The main symptoms start with dryness, heat, and liver pain, which is the most common description by patients. Furthermore, there is a sensation of a foreign object in the throat, leading to exacerbated pain when coughing. This pain is particularly noticeable during swallowing, making it difficult to even eat or swallow saliva. Additionally, this pain can radiate to the sides, commonly causing ear pain when chewing or eating, resulting in both throat and ear pain. Systemic symptoms can resemble those of a cold, such as mild fever, high body temperature, headache, loss of appetite, and general weakness.
What are the symptoms of acute pharyngitis?
Acute pharyngitis is caused by the invasion of bacteria or viruses due to weakened immunity and resistance in the body, leading to systemic symptoms and symptoms in the throat area. Patients may experience sudden high fever, with body temperature above 38.5°C, dizziness, headache, dryness and pain in the throat, as well as a sensation of obstruction and foreign body in the throat. Examination may reveal significant congestion and swelling in the throat, with yellow secretions adhering to the soft palate and pharyngeal wall. For treatment, patients initially need a complete blood count test; if there is an increase in white blood cells, oral antibiotics such as cefixime and amoxicillin are needed. If lymphocytes are elevated, oral administration of ribavirin granules is required, which has good effects. Nebulization can also be used concurrently to alleviate local congestion and swelling, and recovery can generally begin within about a week. Note: Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.
Does acute pharyngitis cause coughing?
Acute pharyngitis is a common otolaryngological disease, with its main symptoms including sore throat, fever, dry throat, itchy throat, and primarily coughing. The main cause of acute pharyngitis is the infection of bacteria or viruses, which leads to the proliferation and congestion of the pharyngeal mucosa, along with the proliferation of lymphatic follicles, causing the patient to feel a foreign body sensation in the throat and triggering irritative coughing. In daily life, it is necessary to avoid spicy and stimulating food as well as cold drinks. Additionally, drinking honeysuckle tea and monk fruit-infused water can significantly alleviate the symptoms of acute pharyngitis.
Is acute pharyngitis serious?
Acute pharyngitis is a relatively common ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) disease. Whether it is severe or not depends on the extent of the inflammatory response. Generally, most patients are not too severe, mainly because it is caused by an acute bacterial or viral infection. In clinical practice, bacterial infections are more common. The main symptom is sudden throat pain. If the inflammatory response is more severe, it can cause more serious pharyngitis, which may affect swallowing and breathing, and cause edema in the mucous membrane of the throat. If it is particularly severe, fever may also occur. It is necessary to visit the ENT department to check the specific extent of infection and inflammation in the throat, conduct a routine blood test, and make a more accurate comprehensive assessment.
How to treat acute pharyngitis symptoms?
The treatment of acute pharyngitis symptoms primarily involves topical medication, systemic medication, and general measures. First, topical treatments mainly include traditional Chinese medicine lozenges, or medications delivered by nebulization, or various mouthwashes, etc. These topical medications mainly provide quick relief from symptoms such as dry throat, sore throat, and throat heat. As for systemic medications, these generally involve the use of antibiotics or antiviral drugs. Doctors will choose different treatments based on their assessment of the condition and what factors they believe have caused the acute pharyngitis. General measures include bed rest, drinking plenty of water, consuming easily digestible food, and avoiding spicy, irritating foods as well as environments with tobacco and alcohol.
What should I do about a dry cough from acute pharyngitis?
Acute pharyngitis is a common disease in the field of otolaryngology, with many patients experiencing symptoms such as dry cough, foreign body sensation in the throat, sore throat, coughing, and phlegm. Upon the onset of these symptoms, it is first recommended to use appropriate oral or intravenous antibiotics for anti-inflammatory symptomatic treatment to alleviate congestion and edema of the pharyngeal mucosa. Additionally, honeysuckle, wild chrysanthemum, Sterculia lychnophora (fat sea), or drinking water infused with pomelo and ginseng can be very effective in treating dry cough caused by pharyngitis. In daily life, it is also important to avoid smoking and alcohol, spicy and irritating foods, and cold drinks to keep the pharyngitis under control.
How long does acute pharyngitis take to heal by itself?
The recovery time for acute pharyngitis is generally about a week. Some patients can recover on their own, which typically takes about a week. However, some patients cannot recover on their own, especially those with severe acute inflammatory responses and prominent clinical symptoms, particularly when accompanied by significant acute bacterial or viral infections. In such cases, medication treatment is likely necessary. Relying solely on one's natural immunity might be relatively ineffective; therefore, considering timely targeted medication treatment is necessary. Additionally, the use of nebulization and traditional Chinese oral medications, regular blood tests, and laryngoscope examinations to monitor recovery are recommended. It is also advised to maintain a light diet and avoid smoking and drinking. (Note: Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor based on the specific circumstances.)
Do you need injections for acute pharyngitis?
Acute pharyngitis does not necessarily require injections. The decision to administer injections should consider the condition and the patient's own state comprehensively. Generally, for most patients with mild inflammatory responses and not particularly obvious symptoms, the first consideration is still drug treatment. Currently, the main treatments are oral antibiotics and traditional Chinese medicine. It is also recommended to complement treatment with nebulization. Attention should also be paid to diet; smoking and drinking alcohol should be avoided, as should spicy and irritating foods. It is preferable to stick to soft, liquid or semi-liquid diets, with lighter foods being better. If the inflammatory response is particularly severe and conservative treatment with oral medications is ineffective, then injections or intravenous therapies may be considered.