Medical treatments for nasopharyngitis
In most cases, nasopharyngitis heals on its own after about 1 week. Treatment is primarily aimed at relieving symptoms such as sore throat, headache, and nasal congestion. Some measures are recommended by doctors to improve comfort and prevent complications:
- Give yourself lots of rest. In children, encourage calm activities away from noise.
- Drink at least 2 liters per day, liquids such as hot broth, herbal tea, water or juice to maintain good hydration. In young children, make sure they are able to suck and breathe at the same time. Split meals as needed.
- To relieve a sore throat, gargle with lukewarm salt water several times a day.
- Maintain a moderate room temperature (less than 21 ° C) and a humidity level between 80 and 90% in order to liquefy respiratory tract secretions and reduce coughing. If necessary use a humidifier.
- Use nasal drops or saline to relieve congestion. In children, washing the nose with saline or physiological serum is sometimes necessary. They are found in pharmacies (eg, Salinex®, Hydrasense®). You can also prepare one yourself.
- Take hot showers or baths.
- To relieve irritation of the skin around the nostrils, apply a little petroleum jelly (or petroleum jelly) to the sensitive area. These products can be found in pharmacies.
Homemade saline recipe1 Dissolve 1/2 tsp. (2,5 ml) of salt in 240 ml of boiled and cooled water. It is important to respect this proportion, so as not to irritate the mucous membranes of the nose. This solution will keep for about 3 days in a clean bottle fitted with a dropper. |
pharmaceuticals
- Acetaminophen or paracetamol (Tylenol®, Tempra®, Acet®). To relieve headache and mild fever. Aspirin (or acetylsalicylic acid) is contraindicated in children: it can cause Reye’s syndrome. Although rare, this disease can cause inflammation of the liver and brain and can potentially be fatal. It is manifested by violent vomiting and a change in the mental state of the affected child, such as lethargy or confusion.
- Decongestants. To relieve nasal congestion, decongestants in nasal spray form (Dristan®, Otrivin®) should be used for up to 3 days in adults. Prolonged use can irritate the mucous membranes of the nose and cause chronic inflammation. Decongestants taken by mouth have fewer side effects. For children, it is better to use saline solution by inhalation.
- Cold medicine. Many cold medicines are available in pharmacies, in the form of day / night tablets. Most combine an ibuprofen-type (NSAID) or acetaminophen-type (paracetamol) pain reliever and an oral decongestant (pseudoephedrine). These medications (Actifed®, Cold and Sinus Advil®, Cold and Flu Benylin®…) relieve the symptoms of nasopharyngitis, but do not speed up healing. They are not recommended for children.
Antibiotics should NOT be prescribed for nasopharyngitis, since this disease is caused by a virus. Antibiotics fight bacterial infections. However, sometimes an antibiotic may be prescribed for children who develop a complication from nasopharyngitis, such as ear infections. |