How to cure a purulent sore throat

Tonsillitis with a purulent component is a serious disease that requires immediate medical attention. Pus is an indicator of the presence of an active infection (more often of a bacterial nature) and in the absence of proper treatment, the risk of developing a variety of complications is high. They can affect both individual organs and tissues, and the entire body as a whole, causing sepsis - a condition that directly threatens the patient's life.

Therefore, the treatment of purulent sore throat in both adults and children should be based on the use of antibiotics - a class of drugs created specifically to combat bacterial infection. Antibiotic therapy begins immediately after diagnosis. In this case, the patient is first prescribed drugs that have an effect on a wide range of pathogens. These are drugs belonging to the groups of cephalosporins, semi-synthetic penicillins, macrolides, etc.

Simultaneously with the beginning of treatment, the patient must conduct an analysis for the sensitivity of the bacterial flora to certain types of antibiotics. To do this, from the biological material (throat swab) taken from the patient, the cultures of microorganisms present in it are isolated under laboratory conditions. And then an antibiotic is selected for each of them, which is able to inhibit the growth and reproduction of bacteria faster and more effectively. This drug will become the basis for the treatment of the patient in the future, replacing the broad-spectrum antibiotic.

Features of antibiotic therapy

Antibiotic treatment is systemic. This means that drugs have a depressing effect not only on the infection that caused tonsillitis, but also on the rest of the bacterial flora. Including those microorganisms that an adult needs for a normal existence (for example, intestinal bacteria). If you want to prevent the development of dysbiosis in advance, start taking drugs containing lactic acid bacteria or drinking biokefir.

Antibiotic therapy should be long enough. Any recommendations on how to quickly cure a purulent sore throat are given mainly by non-professionals who have a poor idea of ​​the mechanism of action of antibiotics. This class of drugs is characterized by the so-called cumulative effect - in order for the therapeutic effect of drugs to manifest in full, it is necessary that the concentration of the active compound in the body reaches a certain threshold. This means that antibiotics will be beneficial when the intake lasts at least 5-7, and preferably 10 days.

Important! The criterion for canceling antibiotic therapy is the intensity of the symptoms that characterize tonsillitis. After normalizing body temperature and subsiding sore throat, antibiotics should be taken for another three days.

In the process of taking antibiotics, a situation is possible when in the middle of the course the patient will feel some deterioration with an increase in weakness, an increase in body temperature, etc. This effect is considered the norm - it is explained by the fact that antibiotics began to actively destroy bacteria and toxins contained in bacterial cells, began to enter the patient's blood en masse. After 1-2 days, after these harmful substances are utilized by the body, the patient's condition will begin to improve.

General recommendations

Speaking about how to treat purulent sore throat, one cannot but focus on changes in the patient's lifestyle during the illness. There are several important recommendations here:

1. The patient is shown strict bed rest.
2. Contact with others should be limited, since the patient is a source of infection and communication with him has a high risk of infection.
3. The room where the patient is located must be warm, but have the possibility of ventilation, which must be performed 2-3 times a day
4. The patient should try to maintain vocal peace. The most important thing is to adhere to this recommendation during the period when the symptoms of tonsillitis are most pronounced.
5. Dishes consumed by the patient should be warm, soft and non-aggressive chemically. An abundance of spices, fatty or fried foods are prohibited.
6. It is important to increase the amount of fluid the patient is taking. These can be juices, compotes, herbal teas, or still water. Drinking plenty of fluids helps to eliminate toxins, as well as reduce fever in an acute period.

Important! It is only necessary to bring down body temperature with medication if the values ​​of this indicator begin to exceed 38⁰WITH.

Rinses

Tonsillitis is a disease in which the main target organ, the palatine tonsils, is available for direct drug exposure. Therefore, with this pathology, various types of rinsing can be used. First of all, they have an anti-inflammatory and disinfectant effect. In addition, with the help of rinsing, you can gently wash off the purulent discharge that is located on the surface of the tonsils.

As a means for rinsing, you can use decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs. These herbal remedies are prepared on the basis of:

• chamomile;
• medicinal sage;
• calendula;
• Hypericum perforatum;
• linden flowers;
• horsetail;
• oregano;
• yarrow, etc.

In addition, you can rinse with ready-made preparations sold in pharmacies:

• furacilin;
• chlorhexidine;
• chlorophyllipt;
• manganese solution;
• boric acid;
• a mixture of iodine, salt and baking soda.

Important! With purulent sore throat, it is not recommended to use Lugol's solution. It is made on the basis of glycerol, a viscous substance that will make it difficult to remove pus from the surface of the tonsils.

You need to treat tonsillitis with rinsing as often as possible. On average, the pause between procedures should not be more than 1 hour. If you have several rinsing solutions at once, then alternating the active ingredients is helpful.

Inhalation

Tonsillitis also allows the use of an inhalation method of administering medicinal substances. In this case, the greatest convenience is inhalation with a nebulizer. The name of this device comes from the Latin term "nebula", which translates as "fog", "cloud".

Inhalation with a nebulizer is currently considered the most effective method of treating most pathologies of the upper respiratory tract, including tonsillitis. This is explained by the fact that the use of such devices for inhalation provides the maximum therapeutic efficacy of the drug. According to WHO research, when using nebulizers, up to 98% of the active substance from the solution is delivered to the intended purpose.

Inhalation with a nebulizer provides several advantages at once:

• the technique for performing these procedures is elementary - it will not cause any difficulties for an adult;
• during inhalation, there is no need to coordinate the flow of the drug and respiratory movements, which allows inhalation with a nebulizer even for severe patients;
• the creation of a dispersed air suspension of a medicinal product occurs without the use of additional gases;
• a homogeneous small-droplet aerosol provides drug savings while maintaining full therapeutic efficacy - one bottle of the drug will be enough for a longer period of therapy without losing the quality of treatment.

Important! When inhaling with a nebulizer, you need to breathe calmly and evenly, holding your breath for 2-3 seconds after each inhalation. This will allow the aerosol to penetrate into the larynx and beyond.

Compressor nebulizers

The design of this type of device includes an electric compressor that generates an air flow. It is fed into the mixing cavity, where the aerosol is formed. Such models have large dimensions (due to the compressor), and the action during inhalation is accompanied by noise.

Ultrasonic nebulizers

The principle of aerosol creation in such models is based on the formation of ultrasonic air waves by a piezoelectric crystal, acting on a liquid. This eliminates the need for a large air compressor for inhalation. Another advantage is that the formation of dispersed suspension in the ultrasonic nebulizer is not accompanied by extraneous noise - sound vibrations spray the drug silently.

But it is not always possible to treat tonsillitis using this type of device. This is because ultrasonic spraying heats the drugs. And many of them lose their chemical structure and can no longer have a therapeutic effect.

Membrane or mesh nebulizers

This type of device is the most modern today. The principle of their operation lies in the fact that an oscillating membrane with a huge number of small-diameter holes is used to create suspension. A pharmacological agent in a liquid state passes through a similar "sieve" - ​​this leads to the formation of a dispersed air suspension. Membrane technology provides a more economical use of the drug. At the same time, it is almost entirely delivered to the respiratory tract, which ensures high bioavailability.

Membrane nebulizers are the most compact and lightest in comparison with other models, which makes them as convenient as possible for pocket carrying. In addition, during operation, they do not heat the medicinal substance, since the vibrations of the piezo crystal act not on the preparation, but on the vibrating element. The downside of these devices is the impossibility of using oil-based preparations - they quickly clog the holes in the membrane.

Important! For 1-1.5 hours before inhalation, it is necessary to stop eating, as well as exclude physical activity. In addition, it will be possible to effectively cure tonsillitis by inhalation only by completely quitting smoking.

What medicinal substances used in the treatment of purulent sore throat can be inhaled with one or another nebulizer?

Compresses

With purulent sore throat, compresses on the neck are prohibited. This is explained by the fact that such a compress is a warming bandage applied to the throat. But tonsillitis is an infectious pathology, which means that a compress, providing a local increase in temperature, creates more favorable conditions for the reproduction of pathogens.

You can often come across the opinion that compresses also have a positive effect. Yes, the compress promotes vasodilation in the throat area, which means and more intense elimination of toxins. But this effect in its usefulness does not exceed the harm that compresses cause, stimulating the reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.

Nevertheless, compresses for infectious sore throat can be used, but at the same time it should be warmed not on the throat, but on other areas of the body. For example, foot compresses with dry mustard have a good warming effect. In addition, if the patient does not have diseases of the cardiovascular system, you can put a compress on his chest or back.

Important! Compresses on the throat with purulent sore throat are not placed! The mechanism of action here should be reflex, that is, apply the compress to other parts of the body.

Complementary oral medications

Treatment of purulent sore throat can be intensified by using fortifying drugs, as well as remedies for relieving sore throat. These drugs include, first of all, numerous sucking lozenges and tablets sold in pharmacies:

• Trakhisan;
• Decatilene;
• Cameton;
• Faringosept;
• Neo-angina;
• Septolet;
• Tantum Verde and others.

In addition, tonsillitis can heal a little faster if you help your body fight the infection. To do this, you should start taking immunostimulants. These include preparations based on ginseng, echinacea, eleutherococcus. Also, take care to ensure an adequate supply of vitamins, especially vitamin C, which catalyzes the biochemical reactions of the immune system. It is also important to introduce more easily digestible protein into the diet. It is a building block for the immune system.