Herpes sore throat in children is often asymptomatic, so you need to be able to identify the first signs of this disease in order to consult a doctor in time. This will avoid serious complications.
Causes and risk factors
Herpangina is a highly contagious enterovirus infection or the Coxsackie virus. After suffering a disease, a person develops a strong immunity to a particular type of pathogen, but it does not apply to members of other strains, so a child may have had this disease several times.
An infection can penetrate into the human body through mucous membranes; the causative agents of aphthous pharyngitis begin to multiply actively in the lymph nodes of the intestine. Invasive virions enter the bloodstream, causing intoxication: the further spread of the virus depends on the properties of the specific pathogen and the state of the child’s immunity.
The presence of various foci of infection, autoimmune pathologies, constant stress, chronic diseases, malnutrition - all this increases the likelihood of infection. In addition, at risk are children who have recently had a respiratory infection.
According to doctors, herpes tonsillitis often occurs in children against the background of influenza or adenovirus infection. Gerpangina spreads very quickly in children's groups, with the peak in incidence in the summer and autumn from June to September.
With timely and proper treatment, this pathology is completely cured. But in the case of generalization of the process and the development of organ damage, forecasts are made more carefully. The pathology itself in children can occur both in isolation and in the form of a co-infection.
Most often, sore throat is combined with other enterovirus diseases.
Three ways of infection
The main ways of infecting children include:
- Airborne path. When talking, coughing, sneezing, a virus from a patient with particles of saliva enters the air and circulates in it for a while. A large accumulation of children in the same room leads to the rapid spread of the virus through the air and penetration into the body during respiration. It is the most common infection.
- Fecal-oral. This method is one of the rarest. The virus enters the body along with toys, nipples, and other objects with which the sick child had previously contacted. You can also get infected through dirty hands, food, dishes. In other words, a healthy child swallows particles of the virus remaining on things or objects that the patient used before.
- Contact. In this case, the infection occurs through direct contact of a healthy child with a patient through mucus, which flows from the nasopharynx. Small children hug, kiss, bite each other, which leads to the spread of infection.
You can get infected from a sick person, a carrier of a virus that has no symptoms, or from a recovering person who, during a month, releases the virus into the environment. Rarely, sources of infection can be domestic dogs and cats with which children play.
More often than the others, children under the age of 10 are ill, while, although herpetic sore throat is found among all ages, in children younger than this age, there are significantly more cases of the disease. The worst thing is for babies up to 3 years old, since this pathology is always harder for them. In newborns up to half a year, herpangina is very rare due to passive immunity - it protects them from infection.
Main symptoms
The first signs of the disease are preceded by an incubation period that lasts from 3 days to two weeks. The manifestation of the pathology resembles the flu:
- a sharp rise in temperature to +40 degrees;
- weakness and weakness;
- headaches and muscle aches;
- loss of appetite.
With severe intoxication, symptoms of a gastrointestinal tract may appear, which include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Some children may experience spasms of the diaphragm, which are accompanied by abdominal pain.
The clinical picture of inflammation of the tonsils develops within 12-24 hours. At first, the child is worried about the feeling of dryness and tickling, runny nose, lacrimation, a little later, swelling, hyperemia of the mucous membranes increases, there is a strong sore throat, cough, swallowing is difficult.
Additionally, there may be bilateral enlargement of the cervical or ear lymph nodes. The specific symptoms of this pathology include the formation on the mucous membranes of the palatine tonsils of the soft palate of a large number of vesicles - small vesicles that are filled with serous fluid.
After two days, they open up, white ulcers with red borders form instead. If several of them merge together, they form a vast erosive area. Because of the pain children refuse to eat and drink.
At the weakened children similar rash can appear on skin, and rashes are most often localized in the lower part of a trunk, but legs. With atypical and erased forms of this disease, symptoms are most often limited to catarrhal changes of the mucous membranes.
Most often, fever in children with a normal state of immunity subsides by about 4-5 days of pathology, and the defeat of the mucous membranes disappears within a week.
But if the immunity is weakened, then this pathology proceeds in waves: vesicular rash and fever recur with a frequency of several days.
Diagnostic measures
Herpetic angina is diagnosed by a pediatrician or pediatric otolaryngologist on the basis of a specific clinical picture of pathology. Detection of vesicles during the examination of the pharynx is a sufficient basis for the start of diagnosis of this pathology.
The specific symptoms of herpetic sore throat are the formation of a large number of visicles on the mucous membranes. In order to differentiate vesicular pharyngitis with chickenpox, herpetic stomatitis, candidiasis, chemical irritation of mucous membranes, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that with herpetic sore throat children do not have eruptions on the face, no inflammation of the gums, excessive salivation, and no bleeding on the mucous.
In case of controversial cases, laboratory tests of nasopharyngeal smears may be indicated. Detection of enteroviral DNA by PCR - confirmation of the primary diagnosis. For conducting virological studies, material is selected for research no later than five days after the detection of pathology.
When conducting a serological test by ELISA, the diagnostic sign is that the titraantibodies to enteroviruses are at least 4 times higher. Also, if necessary, typing of the isolated pathogen and determination of the serological variant of the virus can be assigned.
To monitor the effectiveness of treatment, research needs to be repeated in a few weeks. And in order to rule out complications after a postponed disease, it is recommended to undergo an overall blood and urine test, an ECG.
If serious abnormalities are detected, children are referred for consultation to a specialist - nephrologist or cardiologist. If serous meningitis is suspected, a neurologist should examine it.
How is the treatment?
Most children are treated at home to prevent the spread of infection. However, it is mandatory to hospitalize children under the age of one year with a severe course of the disease during the development of complications, as well as children with chronic diseases.
Regime events - recommendations
In order for a child to recover soon, you must follow some recommendations.
Isolation is the basis of treatment. Moreover, the child must be isolated not only from the team, but also from children who live in the family. High-quality insulation: the presence of a separate room, which will not be allowed healthy children, as well as the individual use of dishes and hygiene items.
Unfortunately, this is not possible in most families. Therefore, for the period of illness of one of the healthy children, it is better to send them to grandmothers or other relatives.
After recovery, it is necessary to carry out general cleaning with the use of disinfectants. For the entire acute period of the illness, the child must be provided with bed rest. Unfortunately, children, even with a temperature, it is very difficult to keep in bed, but this moment is very important to avoid complications.
Pay special attention to nutrition. Since the child has an oral cavity, it is necessary to exclude all products that may cause irritation. These include sour, salty foods, too hard and hot food.
It is better to give the child liquid or semi-liquid food in a warm, but not hot. Also, the child needs to drink more. It is recommended to use compotes, fruit drinks, herbal teas and plain warm water. During the rash, eliminate from the diet juices, carbonated drinks, because they can cause irritation to the oral cavity.
Special problems may occur when feeding a baby. Because of the painful rash, newborns often refuse food and water, which is very dangerous at this age. In this case, the child can feed and water after anesthesia. To do this, it is better to use anesthetic gels or syrup, for example Nurofen.
Drug treatment
There is no specific treatment for this pathology, therefore all therapy is aimed at eliminating the symptoms. First of all, prescribe drugs that have antiviral activity, such as Arbidol. It is not effective to take antibiotics for this infection, since they act only on viruses. However, they can be prescribed if a bacterial infection has joined the sore throat. Despite the resemblance: herpes rash and general viral nature - the treatment will still be different.
For example, Acyclovir, which is successfully used for the treatment of herpes, is not effective with herpes sore throat. And the thing is that this drug has a selective effect on herpes viruses of various types in the presence of enterovirus infection. For topical treatment, it is better to use antiviral preparations in the form of gels, for example, Viferon. You can also spray the affected mucosa with Interferon.
It is not worthwhile to engage in self-treatment, but only a doctor can be able to prescribe the right medicine after a diagnosis. Improper treatment is not only a waste of money for the purchase of medicines, it is a threat to human health.
To relieve swelling and redness, prescribe hyposensitizing drugs, such as Suprastin, Tavegil, Loratadin. They are selected according to the age of the patient. To reduce the temperature, it is necessary to use antipyretic drugs, such as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen.
As a local treatment, the oral cavity is treated with antiseptic and healing preparations. Antiseptic solutions are particularly effective in preventing secondary infection.
If a young child is ill, who still does not know how to rinse his mouth, it is better to purchase antiseptic solutions in the form of sprays. After rinsing with an antiseptic, it is recommended that the mucous is treated with an antiviral drug.
Derinat is prescribed in combination therapy with antiseptics - a drug that has shown itself well in the treatment of pathologies that cause inflammation of the oral mucosa. It stimulates the immune system, increases the activity of cells that can neutralize infected cells. In addition, Derinat activates and accelerates the healing process, increases the body's resistance to the effects of viruses and bacteria, infectious agents. It also has antiallergic properties, reduces inflammation and swelling.
Plus the fact that Derinat can be used for children from birth, and it has good compatibility with other drugs. In the treatment of angina, Derinat solution is used to rinse 4-6 times a day.
The only negative is the small amount of the drug, because one bottle can be enough for only a few times. At the same time you need to rinse at least seven days. Given the cost - from 250 rubles., The course of treatment can be quite expensive.
To accelerate healing, you can use sea buckthorn oil, Dexpanthenol, rosehip oil. Good effect gives the use of complex drugs: Ingalipt, Holisala, Tantum Verde. They anesthetize, disinfect, envelop the affected mucous membrane, thereby protecting it from irritation.
Physiotherapy against herpangina
To speed healing, the UVA method is also used. However, it can only be applied during the recovery period after the removal of acute inflammation. In this period, it is contraindicated.
Modern moms love to use inhalation. This is a good treatment in such situations. However, if cough has joined the herpetic sore throat, inhalation cannot be performed, as well as compresses.
Any thermal procedures increase blood circulation, which allows viruses to spread throughout the body. Together with the general treatment may prescribe vitamins of group B.
If the child is not allergic, you can use vitamin complexes that are suitable for him by age. In case of a breakdown in the immune system, immunostimulating preparations are prescribed. Of course, a pediatrician may also appoint them, but the consultation of an immunologist will not be superfluous.
Folk treatment of herpetic angina
It is possible to carry out treatment by national methods only in a complex with medicamentous preparations. This is the only way to achieve a positive effect. In addition, it is important to consult with your doctor in advance.
Be sure to rinse the throat using a healing broth and sage, chamomile, calendula, eucalyptus.
For young patients, this procedure can be performed using a medical syringe. An excellent astringent properties has a decoction of oak bark.
The main thing is not to warm the throat.
Failing to comply with these conditions, you will only cause accelerated reproduction of the virus, which can cause serious complications.
Possible complications and consequences
The causative agent of this disease survives well on the mucous membranes, muscle tissue. Generalized vesicular pharyngitis may be complicated by pyelonephritis, myocarditis, conjunctivitis.
The most dangerous complication is enterovirus serous meningitis and encephalitis. The protracted course of the pathology creates the prerequisites for the development of the rheumatic process due to a decrease in immunity. Attaching a secondary bacterial infection can cause suppuration and abscess formation, which causes asphyxiation.
This pathology is especially severe in immunocompromised children and younger than 3 years.
With timely and proper treatment, herpes sore throat is completely cured.
Prevention
Due to the high contagiousness of the disease, the main means of prevention is anti-epidemic measures. These include:
- isolation of the patient;
- 14-day quarantine of contact persons;
- administering specific gammaglobulins to children who have been in contact with patients;
- current and final disinfection in the apartment.
After the illness, the child can return to the team no earlier than a week later. Most often, the disease of angina occurs in children's sanatoriums and camps. If you send your child for recuperation, you need to ask about the sanitary well-being of the children's institution.
At risk are especially those who have had a respiratory illness, also herpetic tonsillitis occurs against the background of influenza or adenoviral infection. To reduce the incidence, it is necessary to remember about some measures that are aimed at strengthening the immune system:
- good nutrition;
- hardening;
- schedule;
- lack of stress;
- walks in the open air.
It is also very important to teach the child to observe the rules of personal hygiene.
