What does a child’s red throat look like? Photos of healthy and diseased mucous membranes

Types of diseases

Pathogenic microflora, malignant neoplasms, and mechanical damage can provoke the appearance of a feeling of pain in the tissues of the throat. Discomfort is present with colds and viral infections. The main provoking factors for throat pathologies are:

• lesions of a viral nature - rotaviruses, enteroviruses and adenoviruses lead to the occurrence of pharyngitis and various types of laryngitis;
• pathologies of the bacterial type - develop with an active increase in the number of streptococci and staphylococci;
• mycotic lesions;
• neoplasms of various etiologies - tumor growth, papillomas and the presence of metastases in the pharynx;
• mechanical damage.

All pathologies of the throat of an infectious nature, except for severe pain when swallowing, are accompanied by other signs - increased body temperature, pain throughout the body, rhinitis, thickening of lymphatic formations, hypersalivation. The mucous structures become loose and turn red. But each inflammation has its own description.

You can see what a healthy throat looks like in an adult and a damaged one in the photo.

Angina

This disease usually develops in children against the background of colds and flu.

• catarrhal is the mildest course of the disease, which is expressed in slight swelling of the tonsils, redness of the mucous membrane and the appearance of granular spots on the pharynx, a feeling of pain during the act of swallowing, and a white coating appears on the tongue. The pathology in adults is mild, the temperature rarely rises. Severe hyperthermia may be present in children. The illness lasts about 5 days;
• lacunar - characterized by a rapid course, the increase in body temperature occurs quickly, there is severe weakness, headaches. The tonsils are filled with purulent contents, various plugs are formed, rising above the almond-shaped formations in the form of tubercles;
• follicular - begins with severe hyperthermia and severe sore throat. Muscle weakness and migraines are also present. The patient feels weak. The tonsils become inflamed and red, their surface becomes covered with yellow purulent spots;
• phlegmonous - the lesion progresses in the lymph tissues, and an abscess develops. The pathological process is characterized by increased body temperature, chills, and general weakness. Pain in the throat is usually expressed on one side, it worsens during the act of swallowing. There may be an unpleasant odor from the mouth. There is also a decrease in voice timbre, or loss of voice.

Tonsillitis

The course of the inflammatory process in the palate is a consequence of frequent sore throats, which can occur in an acute or protracted form. The provoking factor can be any disease of a bacterial or infectious nature. Code designation according to ICD 10 is J03.

Reference! Tonsillitis is usually not accompanied by fever. There is atrophy of lymph tissue, which provokes problems with respiratory function. Hoarseness and hoarseness can be a consequence of hormonal disorders, such as a lack of estrogen during menopause and thyroid disease.

Laryngitis

The lesion affects the mucous tissues of the larynx and can occur in chronic and acute forms. The disease is provoked by general hypothermia of the body, exhalation of air with a high concentration of dust or chemicals, tobacco smoke.

The disease was assigned code J04. Acute laryngitis usually acts as a symptom of a viral infection. It occurs after a long stay in climatic conditions with low temperatures, polluted air and against the background of harmful addictions.

The inflammatory process is characterized by a barking cough, dry mucous membrane in the throat, hoarseness of the throat, and a slight increase in body temperature.

The following forms of chronic laryngitis are distinguished:

• catarrhal is a type of lesion of the mucous tissue of the larynx, which occurs in a diffuse manner. The main signs are: hoarseness, general weakness, narrowing of the throat, the appearance of wet discharge;
• hypertrophic - develops against the background of an inflammatory process associated with the growth of the epithelium into other layers of the epidermis. When the disease occurs, there is a burning sensation in the affected areas;
• atrophic - the internal tissues of the larynx atrophy and become thinner. The timbre of the voice decreases, a sore throat appears, the nasopharynx becomes dry, and crusts form. With this disease, it is necessary to remove hyperplastic areas surgically.

Pharyngitis

Acute or prolonged inflammation in the structures of the pharynx. The acute stage of the pathological process develops as a complication of infection of the upper respiratory organs. Prolonged inhalation of cold air and abuse of bad habits provokes the development of pharyngitis.

Eating too hot, spicy or cold foods can also lead to the development of pharyngitis. Pain intensifies when swallowing saliva. The pathology is accompanied by low-grade fever and constant soreness in the nasopharynx.

Chronic pharyngitis develops against the background of bacterial infection, metabolic failures, and pathologies of the lungs and heart. In this case, there are atrophic changes in the mucous tissues, a burning sensation in the nasopharynx, a dry barking cough, swelling of the tongue, purulent discharge, and there is no hyperthermia.

The acute stage of pathology is a disease that poses a threat to young children. With inflammation, there is catarrhal rhinitis, swelling and inflammation of the mucous tissues, which greatly impairs breathing.

You can see what it might be like in the picture.

Adenoiditis

The process of inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils is often provoked by viral agents and is expressed in the form of headache, dry suffocating cough, and attacks of shortness of breath. Usually diagnosed in children under 15 years of age.

The pathology was assigned code number J35. The disease develops against the background of decreased immune strength, lack of vitamin D, general hypothermia of the body and other damage to the respiratory system.

Neoplasms of various etiologies

Cancer of the nasopharyngeal apparatus is difficult to detect in the early stages, since the disease occurs without symptoms for a long time. For this reason, tumors are detected when they have already reached significant size. The following signs are present in oncology:

• feeling of a foreign object in the throat;
• soreness;
• difficulty swallowing;
• hypersalivation;
• stuffy ears without symptoms of inflammation;
• hoarseness of voice.

Tumors of a benign nature are not characterized by a dangerous course, but therapy is also necessary. Frequent damage to them can provoke dangerous complications. Nodes and polyps develop against the background of constant tension in the ligaments, smoking, and chronic inflammation.

Such structures are formed when HPV is activated. Tumors can grow in any part of the upper respiratory tract. Laryngeal cancer is often detected in men over 55 years of age and long-time smokers.

Mycotic lesions

The development of fungal infections is observed when the immune system is weakened. Mycoses can be chronic or acute. When affected, redness of the structures of the nasopharynx is observed, pain, plaque and ulcers are present.

The following types of oral diseases are usually found: candidiasis of the pseudomembranous type, mycosis and erythematous itching. They are more difficult to treat than bacterial lesions.

Causes of a red throat in a child

A child's red throat does not always look the same.
By the appearance of the problem, you can first orient yourself in the possible causes of its occurrence. If you look at a photo of a sore throat, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion who is the culprit of the baby’s illness. A sore throat occurs because the child is cold, drinks or eats something cold, in general terms – from hypothermia. In this case, a red throat will also be accompanied by a runny nose.

If it is painful for a child to swallow with an inflamed throat, then we are dealing with viral infections. Most likely, the diagnosis will sound like pharyngitis, tonsillitis, or tonsillitis. Treatment cannot be delayed. Sore throat is terrible for its complications.

Pharyngitis

Pharyngitis is an inflammatory process localized at the back of the throat. Symptoms of pharyngitis are:

Red throat wall and red dots on it. Sore throat when swallowing. The degree of pain depends on the person’s pain sensitivity threshold. There may be a lump in the throat, as if there is a dry foreign object there. The cough will be dry, since the purpose of the cough is to get rid of discomfort in the throat. Plaque of purulent film in the throat. There may be fever, headache and runny nose.

Read more about the disease pharyngitis and its treatment in the articles:

Chronic and acute pharyngitis in children and adults;

Treatment of pharyngitis.

Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis is a classic sore throat, that is, inflammation of the tonsils of the palate.

The child cannot swallow because it is accompanied by pain. The cough is suffocating and is caused by inflamed tonsils. Internal poisoning develops in the body. Tonsillitis is similar to pharyngitis in appearance; the difference can be seen by visual examination of the oral cavity. The tonsils are red. Although, tonsillitis does not always occur in its pure form.

Since sore throat is caused by coccal infections, as well as fungal parasites, treatment should be prescribed after examination.

Read more about tonsillitis in the article Acute tonsillitis - tonsillitis.

We also recommend that you find out what a sore throat looks like in our article What does a sore throat look like in adults and children.

Allergy

The neck may turn red due to an allergic reaction. Parents can find out what is causing the allergy by taking the appropriate test. The most popular allergens may be:

Household chemicals; Dust; Down and feather pillows; Wool and fluff of pets; Some food products;

and so on.

Teeth

There are cases that babies suffer from redness of the throat for another reason - they are teething. The symptoms may be very similar to the above; the baby may suffer greatly during this period. A stressful situation for a small organism - teething - can weaken the immune functions of the body.

Weakened defenses of the oral mucosa can lead to infection. Care must be taken to ensure that the toddler does not become infected from unhealthy children.

Even if you are sure what caused the redness of the mucous membranes of your child’s pharynx, do not resort to self-prescribing medications! It is especially prohibited to take antibiotics unless there is a justified need. Leave this to more qualified specialists, such as your local doctor or the ENT specialist to whom your pediatrician will refer you.

In addition to this information, read the article What inflamed tonsils look like in adults and children.

When the baby gets sick, the mother tries to independently examine the child’s throat before the doctor arrives, but she can’t really make out anything. This is because there is no clear idea of ​​what a healthy throat should look like and what a sick one should look like. Redness of the larynx is not always a sign of a serious illness, and the absence of redness, which in most cases mothers try to see, is not always a sign of health. We need to figure everything out in order.

Diagnostic measures

The initial examination of the patient is carried out using instrumental methods. Usually this is laryngoscopy and pharyngoscopy. They help to detect the location of swelling and hyperemia in the throat, assess the functional state of the vocal cords and posterior tissues of the larynx, detect accumulations of pus, and identify structural features. The main diagnostic methods include:

• clinical studies of biological fluids;
• throat swab, culture of sputum on a nutrient medium;
• MRI;
• tumor histology;
• Ultrasound.

Attention! Since throat diseases are usually bacterial in nature, before selecting therapy it is necessary to check sputum for susceptibility to drugs with an antibacterial effect.

Signs of a sore throat

The first symptoms of throat diseases are pain and other discomfort. The child will begin to complain of discomfort when swallowing and speaking. You may experience a cough, runny nose, difficulty breathing, fever, or chills. Upon examination, parents may notice:

• redness and swelling of the posterior wall of the pharynx and soft palate;
• tonsillitis;
• the presence of small bubbles, after breaking through which ulcers form;
• presence of mucus or pus;
• the formation of caseous plugs - white balls on the back surface of the larynx that interfere with swallowing.

A red throat and enlarged tonsils indicate the development of a sore throat or other infectious disease

Depending on the type of pathology, the symptoms will vary. A red throat can indicate both a common acute respiratory infection and serious pathologies that require qualified help.

Complications

If left untreated, acute inflammation can develop into chronic pathologies, leading to constant relapses. What is the danger of diseases affecting the throat:

• tonsillitis quite often leads to complications from the heart, joints and excretory organs;
• against the background of prolonged tonsillitis, dermatoses and vasculitis develop;
• dysphonia of the hypotonic type leads to deterioration in the functioning of the vocal cords and muscle tissue of the larynx;
• jaw spasm;
• abscess in the pharynx;
• chronic bronchitis, sinusitis and otitis media;
• severe eye damage;
• hepatitis of various types.

When bacterial agents enter the blood, sepsis develops.

Prevention

Throat lesions require prevention, only in this case the risk of complications is reduced. The main methods of disease prevention include:

• walks in the open air;
• rejection of bad habits;
• maintaining normal temperature conditions for food consumed;
• following the rules of personal hygiene;
• going to the hospital at the first signs of illness.

If you have signs of even a mild illness, it is important to go to the hospital for treatment. At home, it is impossible to correctly determine the type of disease and select treatment. And the lack of therapy can lead to severe deterioration in health.

Prevention of throat diseases

The main preventive measure is to strengthen the immune system, which will allow the body to resist many viruses and other pathogenic microorganisms.

To strengthen your immune system you should:

• maintain the correct daily routine - the child’s body should have enough strength to fight the “enemy”;
• balance the diet - the baby should receive all the necessary vitamins and microelements from food;
• walk more - daily walks will not only strengthen the immune system, but also help the body get enough oxygen;
• clean and ventilate the children's room daily, which will reduce the likelihood of contracting an infection at home;
• avoid hypothermia;
• do not allow your child to drink cold drinks;
• promptly treat respiratory diseases that can cause complications;
• Avoid visiting crowded places during the epidemic.

Try to avoid throat diseases and inflammation of the tonsils, because they support the body’s immune system. If infected, consult a doctor in a timely manner - this will minimize the risk of complications and shorten the recovery period.

Symptoms

Children often have a sore throat; there can be many reasons - from allergies to chemical burns, but most often children are affected by respiratory viruses. There may also be bacterial inflammations and injuries.

You need to see what is happening with the child’s neck when the baby begins to show certain symptoms or openly complain about them:

• pain when swallowing;
• labored breathing;
• runny nose;
• headache, chills;
• sudden fever, increased temperature;
• enlargement of the submandibular lymph nodes;
• refusal to drink and eat.

Early diagnosis

For parents, an important question remains: how to identify a sore throat in a child, because at an early stage the symptoms of the disease are very similar to the symptoms of the common cold (ARC).

However, tonsillitis has several particularly characteristic symptoms, including:

• Inflammation, redness, enlargement of the tonsils (the most striking symptom of the disease);
• Pain and discomfort in the throat when swallowing;
• Change or loss of voice;
• Increased and not falling temperature for several days (up to 38 C);
• General malaise, headaches or abdominal pain;
• Lack of appetite in children.

The incubation period for the infection is 5-7 days. You should pay attention if any of these symptoms have been observed in the patient for several days in a row.

Different types of sore throat may have different symptoms, but the signs listed above are considered common to any type of disease.

How to conduct an inspection?

If a mother glances at the throat of a child who sluggishly makes an “ah-ah-ah,” this cannot be considered an examination.

There are certain rules for examining the throat:

• The child should be placed near a window facing the sunny side. If there is no such window or there is not enough natural light, you can use a small flashlight.
• It is clear that not every home has a medical spatula, but everyone has an ordinary tablespoon. With clean hands washed with soap, take a clean spoon and pour boiled water over its handle. After this, you no longer need to touch the handle with your hands.
• Using a spoon, gently press down the middle of your tongue. If you press on the tip, you may not be able to see anything. If you press on the root, the child will definitely vomit, since this is the simplest and easiest way to induce a gag reflex.

• The tonsils are best visible , but to assess their condition you need to ask the child to open his mouth as wide as possible so that the tongue is pressed to the lower lip.
• To assess the condition of the posterior wall of the larynx , it makes sense to lightly press the tongue with a spatula or spoon.
• The child should breathe through the mouth, taking deep breaths , during which the tongue reflexively lowers slightly. This makes it much easier to see the area of ​​the tonsils and lateral parts of the larynx.

In order not to confuse the palatine tonsil with the pharyngeal tonsil, you need to at least have a general idea of ​​the structure of the throat.

Red throat - how can you notice it?

Redness in the throat is often accompanied by pain. If the child can already report feeling unwell, that’s already half the battle. And if the baby uses emotions rather than words, then the parent must learn to understand this and draw conclusions. For example, with a sore throat, a child may refuse to eat. Vomiting can also be an indicator of problems in the nasopharynx. Young children become capricious and restless.

What does a child's sore throat look like? Looking into the throat, you can see:

Inflamed tonsils - they have a different appearance: red and swollen; The small tongue may be hyperemic; The back wall of the throat may be red, and vascular “twigs” may also appear on it; In this case, the tongue may be coated; The upper palate may also be covered in a rash or become red.

Note! Redness of the throat in children is almost always accompanied by fever. Moreover, a change in the child’s well-being may begin before the throat becomes inflamed.

Norm

A normal healthy throat looks like this:

• There are no visible changes, wounds, or ulcers in the oral cavity. The tongue is clean, with little or no physiological coating.
• The tonsils are not enlarged, symmetrical, and have a pale pink tint. Plaque, blisters, ulcers, enlarged tubercles with pronounced boundaries and seals are not visible on them.
• The palate and palatine arches have a pink color - sometimes more, and sometimes less saturated, but uniform. There are no plaques, ulcers, or spots on them.
• The lateral parts of the larynx are normally not swollen, pink.
• The back of the larynx, rich in blood vessels, may be redder than the rest of the throat, but the condition of the vessels should be assessed exclusively - whether they are enlarged, whether there are pronounced tubercles, ulcers and plaque.

What does the pathology look like?

Visual signs of a sore throat are much more varied and indicate very specific diseases. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a qualified doctor, who will be based not only on an examination of the throat, but also on the total value of other symptoms, as well as the results of laboratory tests.

However, knowledge of the distinctive signs of throat pathologies has never bothered any parent. This is useful at least to know in which cases to urgently call an ambulance, and in which to go to an appointment at the clinic or call a doctor at home.

In the early stages of tonsillitis, the tonsils become bright red, after a few hours they become covered with a white coating. Ulcers and individual areas of a purulent or necrotic nature may appear. The lumen of the larynx may be narrowed. With such inflamed tonsils, nearby lymph nodes may become enlarged.

Sore throat is always accompanied by high fever and severe intoxication. After an acute period, follicular tonsillitis may begin, which is clearly distinguishable upon examination due to a clear sign - loose purulent plaque on the tonsils.

To learn how to recognize a sore throat, watch the following video.

• Necrotizing tonsillitis is characterized by dead gray areas of lymphoid tissue on the tonsils, sometimes the process spreads to the palatine arches and the tongue.

• Fungal tonsillitis , as a rule, is accompanied by redness and inflammation of the tonsils, the appearance of visual looseness, as well as a yellowish-green coating. Throat fungi are most often related to the genus Candida.

• Pharyngitis is a common childhood disease that quite often begins to develop with a viral disease, with allergies, with some fungal infections (less often), as well as with bacterial infection. Almost all types of pharyngitis affect the mucous membrane of the larynx.
• In the simplest form ( catarrhal pharyngitis ), there is slight redness, as well as slight swelling in the larynx, which does not affect either the tonsils or the palate.
• With a visible increase in the pharyngeal tonsils, pronounced redness and swelling of the larynx itself, we can talk about possible hypertrophic pharyngitis .
• Atrophic pharyngitis is associated with atrophy of the mucous membrane, the throat is “lacquered”, a clear sign is the vessels on the back of the pharynx. They become larger, visually there are fewer of them.

• Granular pharyngitis is the easiest to identify: the back wall of the larynx becomes covered with granules that resemble growths in the throat. Clots of mucus may be observed.

Types of sore throat

Depending on the causative agent of the infection, it is divided into several types; the type of disease primarily determines how to identify and subsequently treat a sore throat in a child. There are two main types of infection based on the type of pathogen:

Viral tonsillitis. The source of infection can be various viruses, usually of a cold nature. The main cause of the disease for preschool children under 5-6 years of age.

The disease is accompanied by side symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, stuffy nose, and viral tonsillitis can cause nausea and vomiting.

Viral sore throat is often a side effect of infection with the influenza virus or cold viruses. This type of tonsillitis usually occurs easily and without complications.

With timely treatment, viral inflammation of the tonsils completely disappears in one to two weeks. For viral inflammation, as a rule, antibiotics are not prescribed due to their ineffectiveness; antipyretics and antiviral medications are usually prescribed.

The set of symptoms for viral tonsillitis depends on the type of virus that causes the disease (usually the same as those of the corresponding disease). There are no specific additional symptoms for viral tonsillitis, but the disease can be identified by small red blisters on the patient’s tonsils.

Bacterial (streptococcal) tonsillitis. The source of the disease is streptococcus bacteria. Usually a source of illness for school-age children. Sore throat caused by streptococci develops more rapidly and is much more severe than collateral viral inflammation.

With a bacterial infection, there are almost no symptoms inherent in a common cold, but the course of the disease can be accompanied by an extremely high temperature (up to 40 C).

Bacterial tonsillitis, unlike viral tonsillitis, can cause various complications, including rheumatism, otitis media, problems with the cardiovascular system, liver or kidneys. The disease may develop and the formation of purulent plaque on the tonsils (so-called follicular tonsillitis).

With streptococcal tonsillitis, there is a risk of the disease progressing to the chronic stage; to prevent this, you need to complete the course of treatment and make sure that the patient is truly completely cured.

In what cases should you immediately call an ambulance?

In all cases where parents suspect a child has a throat disease, they should definitely consult a doctor. After examination and detection of the problem, in no case should you begin to self-medicate. The fact is that the symptoms of many of the diseases described above are similar, and a mother who does not see a sore throat in different people every day may well confuse the relatively harmless laryngitis and whooping cough, which is very dangerous for children under 2 years of age.

Ulcers in the throat can also be misleading, as can a coating on the tongue, which is characteristic of many infectious ailments.

Therefore, only a doctor, who has not only special equipment for visual examination of the throat, but also a laboratory, can make the correct conclusion. He will quickly be able to answer the question of what pathogen has settled in the larynx and for how long, what antibiotics or antifungal drugs it is sensitive to.

There are symptoms that should make a sane mother immediately call an ambulance:

• Upon examination, a narrowing of the larynx is noticeable, making it more difficult for the child to breathe. This may indicate laryngeal stenosis. The condition is fatal, especially for young children.
• Upon examination, the mother noticed ulcers, ulcers in the throat (on any part of it), and at the same time the child had a high temperature (above 38.5-39.0 degrees).
• During a home examination, the mother saw bleeding vessels in the posterior wall of the larynx, and at the same time the child had a high fever and intoxication (with or without vomiting).

• Sore throat
• Doctor Komarovsky
• Healthy or sick?
• Pharyngitis
• Learn to rinse
• White plaque
• Angina

medical reviewer, psychosomatics specialist, mother of 4 children

Treatment of the disease

Under no circumstances should you try to cure tonsillitis on your own; if symptoms are confirmed, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Sometimes a doctor prescribes a course of antibiotics to treat inflammation of the tonsils; they should be taken strictly on schedule, following the doctor’s instructions. Along with antibiotics, it is recommended to take drugs that restore the body's immunity.

Do not apply hot compresses to a sore throat to relieve pain. The increased temperature of the tonsils stimulates blood circulation through them and the infection spreads faster throughout the body.

During illness, it is recommended to exclude certain foods from the diet: cocoa, coffee, dairy products and eggs, fatty foods.

To improve the condition of the tonsils, you need to gargle with special means (chlorophyllipt), iodine or potassium permanganate. To relieve a sore throat, you can use sprays and aerosols (ingalipt, orasept). If there is no fever, you can take hot foot baths to relieve throat swelling.

In general, a patient with a sore throat is advised to rest in bed and drink plenty of fluids. To prevent infection of other family members, the patient should be given separate dishes.

You also need to ventilate and wet clean the room several times a day. During contact with a patient with a sore throat (especially a viral one), you should maintain personal hygiene, wear a mask and regularly wash your hands.

Source