Sore throat is one of the most common symptoms of various diseases of the ENT organs. The most common cause is an inflammatory process in the nasopharynx caused by various pathogenic microorganisms: microbes, viruses, as well as allergens and other irritants. A cutting pain in the throat, even if it is localized on one side, can cause significant discomfort to the patient and cause dangerous complications, so proper treatment should be started immediately.
Causes of pain
In order to find out the reason that provoked the disease, and, therefore, to prescribe the correct treatment, you need to carefully analyze the nature of the pain and the symptoms that accompany a pain in the throat. Also, to make a diagnosis, you should contact a specialist to examine the oral cavity, tonsils, pharynx.
Pain in the throat is divided into two main types - acute and dull. Acute pain always appears unexpectedly, is poorly tolerated, is local in nature, practically not controlled. The nature of the acute pain is cutting, stabbing or scratching.
In order to correctly determine the causes of painful sensations, it is necessary to divide them depending on the intensity of the syndrome, which can vary depending on the time of day and surrounding factors. Allocate constant and wave-like pain.
Sore throat differs not only in severity, intensity, but also in the area of location. It happens that not all of the throat hurts, and painful sensations are localized only on one side - on the right, on the left, on top - affecting a certain area.
Even if the pain is localized only on one side of the throat, it can be a sign of a serious medical condition that requires immediate treatment.
To determine the cause of the pain, it is necessary to assess the presence and nature of concomitant symptoms, such as:
- temperature increase;
- perspiration, burning sensation in the nasopharynx;
- feeling of a foreign object;
- runny nose, cough, hoarseness;
- enlarged lymph nodes.
If the pain in the throat does not increase when swallowing, then most likely the cause of the disease is an inflammatory process localized elsewhere. In this case, after consulting an otolaryngologist, who is likely to rule out throat ailments, the help of other specialists is needed.
It will be much easier for the doctor to make the correct diagnosis, narrowing the range of possible causes, if the focus
inflammation is located in a specific area of the pharynx, for example, on the right or only on the back wall.
So, one-sided localization of sore throat most often occurs when:
- throat ailments, such as pharyngitis;
- diseases localized to the tonsils, for example, tonsillitis;
- other inflammatory processes, which are caused, for example, by diseases of the teeth and oral cavity.
Pain in the back of the throat
Despite all the variety of causes of one-sided pain in the pharynx, most often this symptom is caused by pharyngitis. Sharp painful sensations can suddenly occur with common respiratory diseases. The mucous membrane of the throat becomes inflamed when the body is damaged by viruses or bacteria, intensifying the painful sensations in those areas where additional irritation occurs with mucus that constantly flows down the walls of the pharynx. Therefore, if the pain is caused by pharyngitis, then it is the back wall of the nasopharynx that will be affected to a greater extent.
The inflammatory process, causing pain in the posterior surface of the pharynx, often occurs with a pharyngeal abscess. Such a disease is the cause of complications after improper treatment of diseases of the nasopharynx, such as scarlet fever, flu, measles, and is characterized by the onset and development of purulent processes in the lymph nodes. However, this diagnosis is rarely made. Most often, the disease affects the child's body and people with weakened immunity.
The main symptoms of a retropharyngeal abscess:
- pain in the back of the throat;
- difficulty swallowing;
- when swallowed, food often enters the nasal passages;
- nasal congestion;
- a sharp rise in temperature;
- unnatural position of the head (tilt up or to the side).
The cause of a purulent abscess is bacteria, so the treatment of a sore throat in this case should be based on the use of antibiotics.
Pain in the sidewall of the throat
Often in patients with removed glands, inflammation of the accumulations of lymphoid tissue located in the lateral parts of the pharynx occurs. Moreover, such an inflammatory process affects the follicles and the so-called rollers, only on one side, causing pain on the right or left. This disease is called hypertrophic lateral pharyngitis. In the treatment of this disease, it is necessary to use antibiotic therapy; rinsing with antiseptic solutions and adherence to bed rest will also be effective.
Pathogenic microorganisms do not always cause one-sided localization of sore throat. Pain that seems to cut the throat can also result from a foreign object in the throat. For example, a bone accidentally swallowed becomes the cause. In this case, the victim should be immediately hospitalized for emergency qualified assistance.
Angina can also be the reason that the inflammatory process in the throat will be located only on the right or left.
After all, inflammation of the tonsils caused by a bacterial infection most often affects only one side. Bilateral inflammation is much less common.
Another cause of sore throat on only one side can be paratonsillitis - an inflammatory process that occurs as a result of complications of tonsillitis. The disease is localized in that part of the larynx where the focus of the initial infection was located. Treatment involves the use of antibiotics in conjunction with detoxification, antiallergic and antipyretic drugs.
Other pathologies
Among the large number of different causes and pathologies that cause precisely localized sore throat, one can distinguish:
- eruption of third molars;
- neuralgia;
- otolaryngological syndromes;
- singular phagy.
So, at the age of 25 years, right-sided or left-sided sore throat can occur due to the growth of teeth ("eights"). Pathologies of the growth and development of these teeth often cause inflammation in the tissues closest to the tooth, causing pain on only one side, which spreads to the pharynx or tonsils.
Neuralgic diseases occur due to inflammation of the glossopharyngeal nerve. Neuralgia manifests itself as an independent pathology or as a complication after a sore throat or flu. As a result, the tonsils, pharynx, and soft palate become more sensitive, causing a one-sided sore throat. An attack may occur after eating, as a result of yawning, coughing, or prolonged conversation. In this case, the painful sensations disappear as unexpectedly as it appears.
Also, several otolaryngological syndromes are distinguished, as a result of which pain occurs, which can cut in the throat only on one side. So Hilger's syndrome is a consequence of abnormalities in the carotid artery, causing a sharp headache, soreness in the pharynx and neck.
If local pain is also accompanied by impaired swallowing, cervical pain radiating to the ear, then in this case it is caused by the “stylohyoid syndrome”. Often this pain is aggravated by turning the head and by swallowing food.Surgical intervention is often used as a treatment.
A sore throat can also occur with the manifestation of symptoms of odonophagy - problems with the passage of food. Pathology is the cause of disruption of the muscles that cover the walls of the esophagus. Due to the development of the syndrome, a sharp pain occurs when swallowing, which affects only one side of the pharynx. Flare-ups are common, especially when large pieces of food are swallowed or solid foods are consumed. A distinctive feature of odinophagy is that the pain does not go away quickly, but persists for a long time, while arising at almost every meal.
Treatment and prevention
Most often, sore throat is associated with sore throat, acute respiratory infections, flu, etc. The cause may be a virus or bacteria. Bacterial infections must be treated with antibiotics, while viral infections can be treated with antiviral drugs. They also use medicines for symptomatic treatment: analgesics, antipyretics, and so on.
In order to choose the correct treatment, it is necessary to find out the nature of the disease, that is, to determine the type of microorganism that caused the disease.
Simultaneously with the use of drugs, you must follow some simple rules.
- Drink enough fluids to stay hydrated, especially when the temperature is elevated. A warm drink, for example, a decoction of chamomile or calendula, will also be useful, which will help reduce pain and clear the surface of the pharynx, regardless of which side the pain is localized on.
- Decoctions of medicinal herbs used for gargling will help reduce pain and heal the throat. During the procedure, you should try to focus on the side of the throat where the pain is more pronounced.
- Gargling with a furacilin solution or an iodine-salt mixture can also relieve pain and speed up recovery.
- It is necessary to maintain a sufficient level of humidity in the room where the patient is. Air humidity of about 50% will not allow the mucous membrane to dry out, which will reduce pain.
In order not to get sick, it is necessary to avoid hypothermia, eat right and observe the optimal mode of work and rest.
If a one-sided sore throat is caused by reasons not associated with acute viral or bacterial infections, then in such a situation, special therapy is needed, which will be prescribed by a specialist.
