The nasopharynx is a kind of sieve or filter that prevents harmful microorganisms from entering the body. Many pathogenic microbes die in it, never reaching their destination. Therefore, the disease does not develop. But the most tenacious viruses and bacteria, getting into the organs of the nasopharynx, remain there, as a result of which this or that disease occurs. Most often it is inflammatory in nature.
Causes of occurrence
At an early stage of development, nasopharyngeal disease is treated successfully and quickly. After all, microbes that have just begun to actively spread through the mucous membrane simply do not have time to cause significant harm. Therefore, it is so important to visit a doctor at the first symptoms, and not to self-medicate at random.
The most important thing is to identify the causative agent of the disease, get the correct diagnosis and undergo effective treatment. If we neglect this, it will be extremely difficult and long to treat chronic diseases of the nasopharynx and other respiratory organs.
Let's consider the main reasons for their appearance:
- Eating chilled food. Almost any problem with the nasopharynx can appear as a result of careless consumption of overly cold foods or foods. If you do not warm such food in the mouth before swallowing, the temperature extreme for the throat can provoke the development of inflammation. And this is fraught with nasopharyngitis or sore throat.
- Hypothermia. It is possible to get a runny nose, ARVI and a number of other ailments if there is a general hypothermia of the body. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to freeze completely. It will be quite enough if the hands or feet or even the head get cold separately.
- Excessive tension on the vocal cords. Throat problems can also appear in those whose activities are related to the professional need to constantly say something (for example, teachers, actors, singers). Sooner or later, there comes a time when the vocal cords are overstrained. Such overstrain is manifested by a sore throat and partial or complete loss of voice.
- Decreased immunity. Most often seen in children suffering from an infectious disease (for example, scarlet fever or measles). When the immune system weakens in adults, there is also a risk of developing one of the diseases of the nasopharynx.
- Exposure to allergens. It is usually seasonal. It often manifests itself as rhinitis during the period of active flowering of plants.
- Bad habits or being in an unfavorable environment. These factors cause irritation of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, which turns red and swells. In this state, the mucous membrane can be for a long time - the disease becomes chronic.
Varieties
- Nasopharyngitis. The leader among diseases of the nasopharynx. It is a common inflammation. Moreover, it can affect not only the nasal, oral cavity along with the larynx, but also the hearing organs. It is characterized by nasal congestion and sore throat, as well as dryness and burning sensation in the nasopharynx.
- Angina. Eloquent symptoms indicating this ailment are pain, unpleasant tickling and redness in the nasopharynx. All this is accompanied by a febrile temperature. It should be noted that such signs are typical for any type of angina. As for purulent sore throat, it differs in that the tonsils are covered with small abscesses.
SARS and flu. SARS and influenza have symptoms similar to angina. They can be distinguished only by their body temperature, which can quickly rise to 40 ° C. The symptoms of a sore throat are usually accompanied by a runny nose, chills, and headache attacks.- Chronic runny nose and sinusitis. Manifested by pain syndrome affecting the nasopharynx. The pain also spreads to the frontal part of the head, where the maxillary sinuses are located. On the stage and rate of development of the disease, conclusions can be drawn from the nature of the secretion secreted from the nasal passages. And for the pain concentrated in the maxillary sinuses, which annoys when a person turns his head sharply.
- Damage to the peripheral nerves. The presence of this pathology is evidenced by paroxysmal pain in the nasopharynx. It rolls literally for 3-5 minutes, after which it dies down for a while. During such retreats, a person does not feel pain at all, therefore he is in no hurry to visit a doctor, hoping that everything will pass by itself. If you begin to be bothered by pain in the nasopharynx, recurring rolls, you should immediately consult a neurologist. After all, damage to peripheral nerves is a rather serious and dangerous pathology for health.
- Mechanical damage. If you suddenly feel a sharp pain in the nasopharynx, this may indicate an injury. Most often, such a nuisance happens to children who periodically strive to shove or swallow small toy parts or food products. An adult can accidentally injure the nasopharynx by eating rough food. Often, mechanical damage is in the form of cuts or stuck fish bones. You can also injure yourself with debris and sharp fragments of bones caught in the meat of a bird or any animal. You cannot try to treat such injuries on your own, because there is a rather high risk of further injury to the nasopharynx.
SARS and flu. SARS and influenza have symptoms similar to angina. They can be distinguished only by their body temperature, which can quickly rise to 40 ° C. The symptoms of a sore throat are usually accompanied by a runny nose, chills, and headache attacks.If the pain in the nasopharynx does not disappear for a long time, this should alert. Such a sign may indicate an oncological disease.
Symptoms and complications
Among the viral diseases affecting the nasopharynx, doctors most often encounter adenoviral colds, parainfluenza and influenza. Among bacterial ailments, those caused by gram-negative hemophilic bacteria, pneumococci and mycoplasma are in the lead. By the way, in megalopolises the nasopharynx often suffers from mycoplasma.
If the disease is provoked by a viral pathogen, it will manifest itself:
- dry cough with the release of light mucus in small quantities;
- hoarse voice;
- runny nose;
- high temperature.
When a nasopharyngeal disease is of bacterial origin, a person will be disturbed by:
- enlarged lymph nodes located on both sides of the chin (also called the submandibular glands);
- constantly high (about 38.5 ° C) temperature.
If you self-medicate for 3-4 days, but you still have a sore throat, painful sensations during swallowing, opening your mouth do not disappear, and in addition an allergic rash appears, you should immediately visit a specialist. When there are no other signs other than pain in the nasopharynx, but it does not go away for a whole week, it is also recommended to consult a doctor.
If you neglect the treatment of doctors, complications can develop. It will be much more difficult to transfer them, and even more so to treat them. At first glance, a harmless inflammation of the nasopharynx may well threaten with dangerous purulent tonsillitis, rheumatic heart disease, or inflammation of the kidneys.
Without proper treatment, rhinitis can worsen. The acute form of this ailment, in turn, can lead to inflammation of the maxillary sinuses. Rhinitis, which is treated incorrectly or not treated at all, can be complicated by ethmoiditis. In this case, the nasopharyngeal mucosa will gradually swell. Neglecting treatment for this ailment increases the risk that it will affect the brain. And this is already dangerous not only for health, but also for life.
Inflammation of the nasopharynx in children
Acute nasopharyngitis or epipharyngitis in children in most cases goes away with an increased body temperature.When a chronic inflammatory process occurs in the pharynx or paranasal sinuses, it can rise from the lower part of the pharynx and nasal cavity. Often the inflammation is concentrated in the upper part of the pharynx, then spreading to the nasal mucosa and to the lower part of the pharynx. The course of nasopharyngitis in children is almost no different from acute rhinitis.
Often, young and middle-aged children are susceptible to this disease of the nasopharynx. The risk of getting rhinopharyngitis increases significantly if the child has a history of food allergies in any form.
Usually, acute nasopharyngitis is caused by certain coccal bacteria: pneumococci, diplococci, staphylococci, streptococci. It should be noted that all of them can be found in the nasopharyngeal microflora in a perfectly healthy person. But only in a non-pathogenic form.
In addition, the nasopharynx can become inflamed due to scarlet fever, measles and a number of other diseases of an infectious nature, which are considered to be children. In this case, it is necessary to treat the underlying disease - after its elimination, the inflammation will disappear by itself.
Preventive measures
Of course, any disease is much easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, it is extremely important to engage in its correct prevention. What should be the preventive measures for the nasopharynx?
Washing. Otolaryngologists advise to regularly rinse the nose and throat so as not to catch any ailment of the upper respiratory tract. It must be done daily, and especially attention should be paid to this procedure in the spring and autumn periods, when the cold season is in full swing.- Rinsing. It is advisable to make yourself a healthy habit - to gargle with ordinary slightly warmed water from a teapot. In addition, it is important not to talk for a long time in the cold, not to drink cold drinks (you should wait until they are at least a little warm) and not to freeze (especially for the limbs).
- Medicines. Today there is no shortage of drugs for the treatment of diseases of the nasopharynx. They are available in a variety of sprays and nasal drops, tablets, gargles and throat sprays. However, most of these drugs are temporary. You can supplement the treatment with pharmacies with “grandmother's” recipes. It is worth choosing only those that have been repeatedly tested and confirmed their effectiveness.
Washing. Otolaryngologists advise to regularly rinse the nose and throat so as not to catch any ailment of the upper respiratory tract. It must be done daily, and especially attention should be paid to this procedure in the spring and autumn periods, when the cold season is in full swing.A number of doctors recommend developing vocal cords for prevention. And, oddly enough, it makes sense. It turns out that this event allows you to protect yourself from unexpected colds. Singing is the best way to strengthen the ligaments, as it causes a lot of tension. If you exercise regularly, the elasticity of the ligaments increases.
Let's summarize
Most diseases of the nasopharynx are not dangerous if treated promptly and correctly. In order to understand in time that something is wrong with your nose or throat, you need to learn to listen to your body and recognize the symptoms of ailments. If suddenly you are in doubt about something, you need to consult a doctor, and not wait for the development of complications.
Many diseases of the nose and throat are treated quickly and effectively. However, you can count on quick success only when you contact a specialist immediately after the first symptoms appear. If you ignore them, the adverse consequences will not be long in coming.
