What happens when chronic pharyngitis recurs over and over again?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Le Van Quang - Ear, Nose Throat Doctor - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital. BSCKI. Le Van Quang is an expert in the field of ENT with 15 years of experience.
Chronic pharyngitis can reduce the quality of life of patients, making it difficult for them to communicate and eat due to itching, throat obstruction,... Even chronic pharyngitis recurs many times. There is also a potential risk of complications from oropharyngeal cancer - a direct threat to the patient's life.

1. What is chronic pharyngitis? What is the cause of the disease?

Chronic pharyngitis is an inflammatory disease in the throat, lasting for more than 1 week. This is a consequence of the process of acute pharyngitis that recurs many times and does not respond to therapeutic drugs.
Causes of recurrent chronic pharyngitis are:
Chronic rhinosinusitis: Causes fluid to flow from the sinuses to the back of the throat, causing the mucosa of the back of the throat to be covered with a layer of mucus. cleaning function. This has created favorable conditions for bacteria to enter, causing sore throat; Chronic tonsillitis : Many patients have been treated with tonsillectomy but still have chronic pharyngitis due to the growth of lymph nodes in the back wall of the pharynx, compensating for the removed part; Other causes: Working in a polluted environment, many toxic chemicals, the effects of cigarette smoke, gastric reflux syndrome, liver failure, stomach disorders,...

2. Symptoms of chronic pharyngitis

Itching, throat obstruction, dry throat, often spitting to relieve the feeling of throat itching; There is a burning sensation in the throat, accompanied by itching, coughing attacks. Cough usually occurs at bedtime; Difficulty swallowing, painful swallowing; Nasal congestion; Hoarseness, nausea, many throat reflexes.

3. Complications of chronic recurrent pharyngitis

In essence, chronic pharyngitis is a benign disease, although annoying but not dangerous. Repeated pharyngitis can cause complications:
Patients with chronic pharyngitis for a long time, many particles, many lymphoid organizations will cause abscess syndrome, inflammation around the oropharynx; Patients may have rhinitis syndrome, sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux; People with severe chronic pharyngitis may experience complications of pneumonia, acute bronchitis, pericarditis, arthritis,...; Chronic pharyngitis, if it gets worse, recurs many times without treatment, it can cause the throat to swell, cough for a long time, cough up blood, spit up a lot of sputum, often have a severe headache,... and turn it off. nasopharyngeal cancer, increased risk of death. Therefore, when suffering from chronic pharyngitis, the patient needs to be treated early and decisively to avoid dangerous complications.

4. Treatment of chronic pharyngitis

Pharyngitis usually comes from causes such as viruses, bacteria or is affected by sinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease. Therefore, to treat the disease effectively, the patient needs to be treated from the root cause of the disease. Specifically, if the cause of the disease is a virus, bacteria or fungus, appropriate antibiotics should be used to destroy the pathogen.
In addition, the patient needs to be treated to eliminate the causes of the disease such as rhinitis - sinusitis. If the weak resistance factor increases the risk of disease, the patient needs to apply measures to strengthen the body's immune system.

5. Prevention of recurrent chronic pharyngitis

Keep oral hygiene clean, brush teeth and rinse thoroughly after eating because many cases of pharyngitis are secondary consequences of infections in the oral region such as tooth decay, periodontitis; Wear a mask when going out to avoid exposure to dust, viruses and bacteria; Do not smoke, including inhaling secondhand smoke; Abstain from strong alcohol, avoid eating ice cream or drinking cold water; Always keep the neck area warm, take a warm bath, practice breathing deeply, gently and steadily; Disinfect the nose and throat daily with physiological saline to prevent bacteria from attacking. At the same time, physiological saline also has the effect of reducing swelling, eliminating phlegm, killing harmful bacteria and effectively reducing pain; Supplement the diet with foods rich in vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iron, folate, magnesium,... to improve resistance; Always keep a stock of lozenges with antibacterial and antiseptic properties to use when you have early symptoms of a sore throat. These lozenges help to disinfect the throat area and have local anesthetic ingredients, quickly reducing the burning sensation; When suffering from acute pharyngitis, it is necessary to treat it completely, not to let the disease become chronic. When there are signs of pharyngitis, it is best for patients to visit an ENT specialist to quickly determine the cause of the disease and have an early treatment plan. Patients should absolutely not let a sore throat last for many days without treatment because it will easily lead to unpredictable complications.
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