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It happens that periodically, disturbances or malfunctions occur in some organs. Pain in the nasopharynx also appears. This phenomenon is very unpleasant, however, it indicates that a disease has appeared in the ENT area.
Nasopharynx is a sieve through which many diseases pass. Most pathogenic microbes die before reaching their destination and do not give any reaction. However, some of them, filtered by the organs of the nasopharynx, are retained and develop into some kind of disease.
Pain in the nasopharynx, especially in the early stages, is removed quickly, and bacteria and viruses that cause diseases do not have time to harm the mucous membrane. The main thing is to correctly identify the causative agent of this very pain in the nasopharynx and undergo the most effective course of treatment.
Causes of pain in the nasopharynx
The most common cause of sore throat is simple inflammation. The hearing organs, nasal cavity, as well as the oral cavity or larynx can become inflamed. The first thing that can cause pain in the nasopharynx is sore throat. It causes soreness, redness, and an increase in overall body temperature. Similar symptoms are observed with all types of sore throat. But with purulent, a characteristic symptom appears – pustules form on the tonsils.
Acute respiratory viral infections and influenza also have symptoms similar to sore throat. Only in this case, the body temperature can rise to 40 degrees, chills occur, headaches and a runny nose appear.
Pain in the nasopharynx can also be caused by chronic nasal diseases – runny nose and sinusitis. In such a case, the frontal part, where the maxillary sinuses are located, also begins to bother. Increased pressure in them, characterized by sudden changes in the position of the head, as well as discharge from the nasal cavity, characterize the stage of the disease and the speed of its progression.
If your nasopharynx hurts, you may have an inflammatory process in the inner ear – otitis media. In this case, pain occurs not only in the auditory organs, but also in the throat area. In addition, general weakness of the body, headache and persistently high body temperature are observed.
Pain in the nasopharynx can also be caused by more serious diseases.
For example, it happens that the pain in the nasopharynx is paroxysmal, comes on for a few minutes and then recedes for a while. During the retreat, the patient does not experience pain. If such surges are repeated, urgently contact a neurologist as you most likely have damage to the peripheral nerves.
If the pain in the nasopharynx is sharp and sudden, this may indicate that you have suffered mechanical damage to the nasopharynx. Such cases often occur in children who try to put small parts of toys or food into their nose or mouth. However, it happens that a person receives injuries as a result of eating rough food – cuts or fish bones getting stuck in the body, fragments and sharp elements of crushed bones of animal origin. Such cases cannot be treated on their own, as this is very dangerous due to further injury to the nasopharynx, so you should consult a doctor. They will be able to prevent injury to internal organs.
If the pain, which is in no way associated with inflammatory processes and mechanical damage, is constant, this in some cases indicates that cancer in the nasopharynx is possible at the last stage. In this case, you need to check with an oncologist.
Symptoms of pain in the nasopharynx
Doctors call the most common viral diseases that develop in the nasopharynx adenoviral infections, influenza and parainfluenza. The most common bacterial sources of nasopharyngeal diseases are mycoplasma, pneumococcus and gram-negative haemophilus influenzae. In large cities with significantly developed industry, the most common diseases of the nasopharynx are those caused by mycoplasma.
The main symptoms of pain in the nasopharynx, which correspond to viral infectious pathogens, are a cough without expectoration, which produces a little light-colored mucus, hoarseness of the voice, runny nose, and fever.
With bacterial diseases of the nasopharynx, the lymph nodes that are located on both sides of the chin (the so-called submandibular glands) enlarge, and a consistently high (about 38,5 degrees) body temperature is observed.
If, after self-medication, your throat continues to cause discomfort for several days, you experience pain when swallowing, opening your mouth, or if an allergic rash appears, the best decision would be to consult a doctor. If there are no acute symptoms, but the pain in the nasopharynx lasts longer than a week, then you also need to seek the help of medical professionals.
If you delay contacting a medical facility, complications may arise that will be much more difficult to endure, let alone cure – advanced purulent tonsillitis, rheumatic carditis, or even kidney inflammation.
Also, rhinitis can develop into more acute forms without the necessary treatment, which is fraught with inflammation of the maxillary sinuses or cells of the ethmoid labyrinth. Advanced rhinitis can develop into ethmoiditis or acute or chronic sinusitis. In this case, various parts of the nasopharyngeal mucosa will swell, which, if effective treatment is further ignored, the disease can get closer to the brain.
Advanced otitis is also dangerous due to the appearance of various resulting diseases such as eustachitis, acute inflammation of the middle ear, as well as acute purulent otitis.
Diagnosis of pain in the nasopharynx
To diagnose pain in the nasopharynx and determine an accurate diagnosis, you should pay attention to the nature and frequency of pain; color, consistency and amount of mucous or purulent discharge; size of lymph nodes; character of cough; condition of the nose or ears; general condition, body temperature.
When self-medicating, you should also take into account that the disease does not go away quickly and if, as it seemed to you, the disease has already receded, it is still worth continuing the course of treatment. This is explained by the wave-like nature of inflammation, in which at one moment you may feel extremely bad, and at another, on the contrary, fresh and recovered. However, this state of affairs is deceptive.
Remember that an untreated disease is worse than one that was not treated at all. If the disease is simply neglected, there is a chance of complete recovery even if treatment is started late. However, if the disease is not treated, then, most likely, it will develop into a chronic disease and will recur at the slightest entry of the pathogen into the body. A person who has a chronic disease is much more susceptible to any other acute respiratory diseases.
Treatment of pain in the nasopharynx
Treatment of pain in the nasopharynx should be carried out very carefully and delicately, since incorrectly selected treatment may not help, but rather harm and aggravate the acquired disease. So how to treat pain in the nasopharynx? What medications exist to effectively treat severe pain in the nasopharynx?
So, for example, if it is determined that the disease is viral, then the prescribed drugs for drug treatment should be from a number of antiviral drugs. In the case of a bacterial pathogen, the medicine must have an antibacterial effect. Remember that antibacterial drugs are powerless in the fight against viruses and vice versa – antiviral drugs will not work if the disease is bacterial in nature.
However, there are drugs that are included in the main course of treatment and are interchangeable. These include amoxicillin/clavulanate in high concentrations (2 or more grams per day), 2-3 generation cephalosporin tablets and lincosamides or clindamycin.
For bacterial forms of tonsillitis, doctors often prescribe systemic antibiotics of the penicillin group. Here it is worth noting the time-tested drug phenoxymethylpenicillin in combination with interchangeable aminopenicillins, cephalosporins, amoxicillin/clavulanate.
For acute respiratory diseases, treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that provide an analgesic effect is recommended – naproxen, paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen. However, children and adolescents are strictly prohibited from prescribing and taking aspirin.
For acute respiratory infections, antihistamines are prescribed that block the action of histamine.
Natural herbal medicines are also used to treat respiratory diseases, for example, Sinupret for sinusitis. It promotes better release of unnecessary mucus from the nose and upper respiratory tract.
For local relief of the disease, use:
- fusafungin is an antimicrobial agent for relieving symptoms of inflammation of the upper respiratory tract;
- nasal sprays or drops containing antibacterial components – neomecin or polymyxin; relieving swelling and inflammation – dexamethasone; for vasoconstriction – phenylephrine. It is worth recalling that such topical medications are not recommended for use for more than 5-7 days in one course of treatment;
- for severe pain in the nasopharynx, various sucking tablets, rinses, aerosols, irrigation or inhalation drugs are used;
- To increase the content of immunocompetent cells, Imudon is prescribed.
Also, medical institutions practice the use of some vaccine preparations, which are better not to select and use independently at home.
How to prevent nasopharyngeal pain
In order to reduce the risk of contracting various diseases, doctors recommend tempering and training your body, and in particular your voice.
To begin with, gradually lower the temperature of the water you drink. Hardening with water should start with drinking liquid at room temperature and gradually move on to cooled liquid, “only from the refrigerator.” This will help avoid inflammation when suddenly drinking cold water in the heat, for example.
It is also useful to accustom the body to coolness. So, in cool weather, do not rush to wrap yourself in scarves and scarves. Keep your throat cool to avoid the rapid acquisition of colds.
Don’t forget also about the practice of dousing. Since the times of the Soviet Union, doctors have recommended dousing with cold water, contrast showers, and rubbing. Such procedures strengthen the body (if you do not overdo it with transitions), and also give a rejuvenating effect.
Some doctors claim that singing out loud also trains the throat and helps prevent illness. There is some truth to this statement, since singing strains the vocal cords. With regular tension and relaxation, elasticity improves, which also contributes to overall health.
If your throat often gets dry, drink water or, in more advanced cases, drink a tablespoon of sunflower oil to lubricate the dry areas of the mucous membrane.
To strengthen the walls and mucous membrane of the nose, it is recommended to carry out preventive rinsing with herbal tinctures 1-2 times a week. After such rinses, you should also rinse your mouth. This useful procedure reduces the number of pathogenic microbes on the nasopharyngeal mucosa.
Remember, pain in the nasopharynx is not a reason to be upset, but just a signal of an upcoming illness. Listen to your body, because it always signals what is happening to it. If you are not sure about the correctness of the signal received from your body, contact a specialist.