Inflammation of the adenoids: causes and treatment

Adenoids are the tonsils of the nasopharynx, which form a special ring that protects the body from pathogens. They help regulate immunity, which is why inflammation of the adenoids can cause serious health problems. For this reason, if inflammation of the adenoids is suspected, it is necessary to immediately diagnose and begin treatment.

Inflammation of the adenoids: symptoms

Inflammation of the adenoids is a disease that develops over quite a long time. The occurrence of the disease can be determined by the presence of the following signs:

• Hearing problems.
• Headache.
• Severe weakness.
• Cough.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Constant runny nose, which practically does not respond to medications.
• Nasality in the voice, appearing due to nasal congestion. For the same reason, a person begins to breathe through his mouth.
• Sleep disturbance.
• The appearance of tearfulness, irritability.

Most often, inflammation of the adenoids occurs in children aged 3 and 12 years. However, sometimes this disease can also occur in adults; the symptoms are almost the same.

The course of the disease is usually characterized by several stages. At the first, initial stage, it becomes harder for the patient to breathe during sleep, so breathing through the mouth occurs. Sometimes there is mucous discharge, but during the day the patient feels normal.

In the second stage, all symptoms become stronger. The mouth is open almost constantly; due to poor air access, short-term pauses in breathing and snoring occur. For this reason, a person does not get enough sleep, which leads to weakness and chronic fatigue.

The third stage of development of the disease is the most severe. The patient begins to hear poorly, and he practically cannot breathe through his nose.

Inflamed adenoids: causes

The reasons are very different. Inflammation of the adenoids is an independent disease, but it can also be triggered by inflammatory processes occurring in the human body.

In children, the disease can develop when an infection enters the body, an allergic reaction to some foods, or severe hypothermia. Even poor ecology, as well as hereditary predisposition, can contribute to the occurrence of the disease.

In adults, such factors may be allergic reactions or infectious or viral diseases suffered in childhood. In addition, the risk group includes people suffering from obesity, disruption of the endocrine system, chronic runny nose or having a genetic predisposition. There are also cases of relapse of the disease: for example, a person has already had inflammation of the adenoids before, but due to a poorly performed operation, the lymphoid tissues began to grow again.

If treatment is delayed, inflammation of the adenoids can have serious consequences. For adults, this is fraught with hearing loss and frequent infectious diseases. For children, the negative consequences are even greater: speech impairment occurs, oxygen supply to the brain deteriorates, as a result of which the child may study worse, become lethargic, and apathetic. May appear allergic reactions, frequent colds. Therefore, it is important to start fighting the disease as early as possible.

Treatment of inflammation of the adenoids

Treatment with medications is carried out if the size of the adenoids is not too large, when there are no special problems with hearing and breathing, and the nasal mucosa is practically not inflamed.

Antihistamines are usually used as medications, since it is very important to relieve swelling and inflammation. One such medicine is Diazolin, which reduces mucus production and suppresses pain. In addition, various topical antiseptics are used.

Nowadays, in the treatment of adenoids, laser therapy is often used - a treatment in which the tissues of the tonsils and the nasal mucosa are exposed to a stream of light rays. Operation improves under the influence of laser radiation immune system. To achieve the effect, you need to conduct from 7 to 15 daily sessions. It is recommended to carry out such therapy 3-4 times throughout the year.

If drug treatment of adenoids does not produce good results or serious complications arise, they need to be removed. The removal operation is carried out only after tests and under local anesthesia. Most often it passes safely, and after a few hours the patient can go home.

After the operation, you need to adhere to certain rules: avoid physical activity, too cold and hot food, as well as salty, fatty and spicy foods (anything that can irritate the throat). In addition, you need to take care of your vocal cords and speak quietly.

There are contraindications to operations, and there are many of them: hemophilia, leukemia and other blood diseases, diseases of the cardiovascular system, and acute infectious diseases. In addition, it is highly undesirable to perform surgery during pregnancy or breastfeeding, as well as in the presence of pathologies in the renal system.

Traditional treatment of adenoids

Sometimes the use of folk remedies gives a good effect. So, thuja essential oil is very useful, which helps relieve swelling and constricts blood vessels.

In addition, the following products provide significant assistance to the body:

• Baths with the addition of essential oils: eucalyptus, chamomile, sage.
• Warm milk with added turmeric.
• Kalanchoe juice, which is diluted in half with water and instilled into both nostrils, 2-3 drops.
• Gargle with green tea three times a day. It is also very good to use decoctions of thyme, oak bark or daisies.
• It is useful to give your child a mixture of lemon and grated garlic after dinner.
• A mixture of honey and lemon juice (one teaspoon each), diluted with a glass of warm water, also helps.

Herbal medicine is considered a good effective method. For example, decoctions of ivy budra, over which you need to breathe for several days for two to three weeks, help. It is also useful to rinse the nasopharynx with the following solution: 20 drops of propolis tincture, a quarter teaspoon of soda and a glass of water.

Prevention of inflammation

To avoid this unpleasant and rather dangerous disease, it is important to take preventive measures. In this regard, doctors give the following recommendations:

• Support your body with regular intake of vitamin complexes. You can also take medications that enhance immunity, for example, Immunal, but be sure to consult your doctor before taking it.
• Introduce more fresh vegetables, fruits, and juices from them into your diet. The intake of vitamins into the body, especially in spring and autumn, will also help strengthen the immune system. But it is important to remember that the number vitamins needed for children, significantly lower than for adults. Therefore, you should not be zealous either. 
• Temper yourself with walks in the fresh air, exercise, and regular rubdowns.
• Try not to overwork, follow a daily routine and healthy eating rules.

Only an ENT doctor can decide which treatment method will be effective and safe in this case. For this purpose, visual examination and diagnostic methods are used: usually an x-ray or computed tomography.

A correct diagnosis and timely treatment will allow you to cope with this problem and avoid negative consequences.