What is angina
Angina is a Latin word and means tightening. Angina (acute tonsillitis) is an acute inflammatory disease of an infectious nature - the diagnosis is much more common in children.
It is a common disease and is characterized by inflammation of the tonsils, and intoxication syndrome is formed. It is quite expected that the process will start completely suddenly. In some clinical cases, the disease proceeds in such an acute form that the rhythm of the patient's daily life significantly decreases.
It is advisable to consult a doctor as soon as the symptoms appear, because if the disease is not differentiated in time, therefore, treatment and necessary recommendations are not taken into account, angina may cause serious systemic complications.
Goga Chapandze, partner of the Health and Tourism International Center, oto-rhino-laryngologist, talks about the disease.
- What are the symptoms of angina?
- When suffering from angina, the main symptom (both in adult patients and children) is a sudden, severe sore throat. The pain in the throat worsens when swallowing and the discomfort is so annoying that a person cannot chew food, it is difficult to swallow, the pain is transmitted to the ear and neck.
In addition to a sore throat, there are other symptoms:
- body temperature increases (38-39);
- chills;
- muscle and joint pain;
- headache;
- general weakness;
- fatigue.
Note that the active inflammatory process in the tonsils spreads to the regional lymph nodes. Lymph nodes increase in size, lymphadenitis develops (in medical language, it is inflammation of lymph nodes). The patient complains of pain during touch and feels discomfort during head movement.
- In what way is the infection transmitted?
- In most cases of pathologies, the source is people suffering from tonsillitis or thrush. The infection is transmitted by droplets of saliva, for example, the risk is high when an infected person talks or coughs, sneezes. Note that the disease is rarely transmitted through alimentary (food) and physical contact.
The peak of the frequency of the disease is the autumn-spring period.
- What should we know about the underlying causes?
- In 85% of cases, the causative factor is A-group B-hemolytic streptococcus. After entering the oral cavity, streptococcus begins to multiply on the surface of the tonsils, and its residual product enters the blood, which is a prerequisite for the development of general intoxication syndrome.
Risk factors are:
- dust content;
- hypothermia;
- allergy;
- excessive physical load, work;
- weak immunity;
- autoimmune diseases in the anamnesis;
- other foci of infection (untreated sinusitis, dental diseases, etc.).
- What are the diagnosis and treatment methods?
- The doctor will carefully listen to the patient's complaints, take into account the symptoms, make an anamnesis, carefully examine the organs (redness or swelling of the tonsils, pathological discharge in the follicles, the size of the lymph nodes, etc.).
Laboratory studies are also carried out (general blood analysis, determination of antistreptolysin titer in blood, throat smear analysis for bacterial flora).
If necessary, an ultrasound examination of neck tissues can also be prescribed.
As for the course of treatment; In both children and adults, the basis of treatment of classic bacterial (purulent) tonsillitis is antibiotic therapy. Please note, taking antibiotics is not allowed arbitrarily, without a doctor's recommendation and appropriate laboratory analysis! Based on complaints and analysis, the oto-rhino-laryngologist will select the antibiotic therapy you need.
During the acute clinical course, detoxification infusions are necessary.
Without timely treatment, the disease can cause serious complications, for example:
- Otitis (ear inflammation);
- Hymoritis (inflammatory process of the inside of the upper jaw bone);
- Ethmoiditis (inflammation of the cerebellar labyrinth);
- Swelling of the larynx;
- Phlegmon of the neck;
- Acute rheumatic fever;
- Myocarditis;
- Reactive arthritis;
- Sepsis and others.
- How to protect yourself from angina?
- provided for prevention:
- As far as possible, avoid people who have symptoms of infectious diseases;
- You should eat healthy products;
- Do not overload yourself with work, rest your body regularly;
- Increase of immunity;
- Healthy way of life;
- Rejection of alcohol and tobacco;
- Timely treatment of somatic diseases is necessary;
- Consult a doctor as soon as you experience any unusual symptoms.
