In this article we will look at the treatment of red throat in infants.
There is not a single child who has never had a sore throat. Diseases of the oropharynx are very common, especially during the epidemic season in the fall, as well as in early spring. It is possible to cure a red throat in a baby only in accordance with medical prescriptions. The fact is that pain, along with other unpleasant symptoms in the throat in children, may indicate the occurrence of completely different diseases.
Treatment of red throat in infants should be timely.
Causes and symptoms
When a baby's throat turns red, he may develop diseases such as scarlet fever, pharyngitis, laryngitis, measles, flu, sore throat or allergic reactions. Signs that your baby urgently needs treatment for his throat are:
- The appearance of redness along with swelling of the glands.
- The appearance of purulent spots, and in addition, plaque and various spots on the tonsils.
- The appearance of pain and sore throat.
- Enlarged lymph nodes and temperature.
- The occurrence of a runny nose.
- Strong crying along with irritability.
In the presence of a viral infection, the signs of the disease progress rapidly, and the temperature rises from the first day of illness. Bacterial infections lead to a gradual increase in symptoms, and the temperature can increase to thirty-eight degrees. Against the background of allergic reactions, the symptoms of the disease can quickly disappear after the elimination of irritating factors.
Causes and diagnosis of a sore throat
Before treating a newborn’s throat, it is necessary to find out the cause of the disease. This is necessary in order to determine the treatment method. If the baby does not have a temperature or it is low, then you need to call a pediatrician at home, and if the temperature is above 38 degrees Celsius, then you need to call a children's emergency room at home.
The main causes of inflammation of the throat and tonsils in babies under one year of age:
• infection of bacterial or viral origin;
• manifestation of an allergic reaction;
• Throat or neck injury.
Visually, this manifests itself in the redness of the tonsils, arches and pharyngeal wall. The baby feels soreness and soreness in the throat, so he may refuse to eat and cry when swallowing. His behavior becomes restless and whiny.
It’s worth turning to a pediatrician for help, he will tell you exactly how to treat the throat of an infant under 1 year old.
Treatment of red throat in infants
Treating a baby's throat is not an easy task. First, you need to call your pediatrician home, which should be done at the first symptoms of a sore throat or other ailment. An experienced doctor will determine whether the pathology is caused by viral or bacterial infections. The doctor will also be able to determine the reasons. Sometimes pathological symptoms and inflammation occur due to teething.
Every parent should know how to treat a baby's throat.
How to examine a baby's throat and make a diagnosis?
A red throat in a baby can indicate various problems. First of all, it is necessary to assess the nature of the redness. You should look at the throat, because even a person without medical education can confirm the presence of the disease (we recommend reading: how to properly look at a child’s throat at home?). A healthy throat in both an adult and a child will be a soft pink color. Redness of the mucous membrane or at least a slight change in color indicates that the child, if not in pain, is unpleasant, and the disease needs to be treated.
A sick newborn sleeps poorly and eats less. Swallowing becomes more frequent. The baby cries more often, stronger and shriller than usual, and calms down only when feeding. To check the throat, you need to arm yourself with an inspection stick or cutlery with a flat handle. Otherwise, you won’t be able to see anything, because the child will cover the mucous membrane with his tongue.
Sometimes you can understand the nature of the disease and treat the child at home, but a number of symptoms require an immediate call to the doctor:
- refusal to breastfeed when the throat hurts so much that the child cannot eat;
- there is a lot of plaque on the mucous membrane or tonsils;
- the child chokes with a strong cough;
- strong wheezing is heard in the lungs;
- after the throat, the arms, lower back, and legs begin to ache;
- symptoms do not subside within a week.
Pain in the back and legs indicates severe intoxication of the body, and wheezing can warn of pneumonia. Consulting a doctor would be appropriate even for mild cold symptoms. It is still better to hospitalize an infant immediately.
Rules for therapy
Here are the rules on how to carry out throat therapy in infants:
As a rule, treatment of the throat in babies under one year of age lasts from seven to ten days and no less. The use of antiviral medications usually lasts up to five days, and it is possible to cure an infant’s throat with antibiotics in five to ten days, depending on the type of medication.
We treat a red throat in a child 1-6 months old
Comfortable, humid and cool conditions help the patient at any age. Dry air dries out mucus and germs spread faster. In the right conditions and with proper care, the disease recedes within 3-5 days. A red throat caused by a viral infection does not need to be treated for the reason that there are no medications that would act on the virus. It is enough to relieve the symptoms and wait for recovery. The body itself fights, and by bringing down a mild fever or poisoning the baby with chemicals, parents only make things worse.
The room should create comfortable conditions for the child. If this is not possible and funds allow, purchase an air humidifier
Complications arise not because children are not given medications, but because of improper care. Dry air forces you to breathe through your mouth, mucus from the nose enters the lungs and causes inflammation. Without warm drinks, the mucous membrane dries out and hurts more. Rubbing with alcohol and vinegar, as well as compresses and overheating of the throat are prohibited!
Rinsing the nose of a baby from 4 months can be done with saline solution and products based on sea water. You need to instill it with a pipette. There are solutions in special bottles that will not harm the baby, unlike aerosols.
Medication recommendations for this age
You can lubricate your throat with antimicrobial agents:
- “Tonsilgon”, (we recommend reading: dosage of “Tonsilgon” for children)
- "Iodinol"
- “Lugol” diluted with water,
- chamomile decoction,
- oak bark.
List of drugs
Listed below are the most effective drugs from various medicinal groups used in the treatment of throat diseases in infants:
"Tonsilgon"
According to the instructions for use, Tonzilgon is prescribed for children from 1 year of age for complex therapy of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, namely:
In addition, the medicine is an excellent prophylactic during the season of widespread colds and flu epidemics. Drops or tablets can be used in combination with antibacterial agents prescribed by a doctor, or as a stand-alone drug at the first signs of a viral infection.
Instructions for use of Tonzilgon for children must be strictly followed.
Doctors' recommendations
During the occurrence of throat diseases in infants, doctors recommend doing the following:
When should a baby be taken to the hospital?
Most often, hospital treatment is prescribed for a red throat and high fever in infants up to one year old. Similar treatment is carried out for any infectious disease accompanied by high fever. Other indications for hospitalization in the presence of throat diseases in infants are the following manifestations of the disease:
It must be borne in mind that the main danger is not the disease itself and the redness of the throat, but the complications of this disease. Therefore, in order to avoid serious consequences, you should start treatment at an early stage, and if necessary, and on the recommendation of a doctor, immediately go to the hospital.
Causes of throat diseases in infants
The child has a fever, red throat and cough
A child's reaction to a sore throat is characterized by restlessness, crying, fever, nasal discharge or congestion, and noisy breathing. The child refuses to breastfeed and has restless sleep.
Not everyone knows how to treat the throat of a 6-month-old child when he is sick. The most common causes of throat diseases in infants are infectious, since their immunity during this period is provided only by antibodies from the mother's milk.
Characteristic signs of throat diseases in young children:
- restlessness, crying, spontaneous movements;
- hoarseness appears in the voice;
- discharge of mucus from the nose (runny nose);
- red throat (on examination there is distinct hyperemia in the throat)
- plaque and white spots are visible on the tonsils and pharyngeal mucosa;
- swelling of the palatine tonsils;
- swelling of the palatine arches and uvula;
- refusal to eat;
- excess of normal temperature (above 37.5°C)
- palpation reveals enlarged lymph nodes;
- the child cries from a sore throat;
- noisy breathing.
When such signs appear, the child’s parents consult a doctor so that he can determine the cause of the disease and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Characteristics of throat diseases and their causes
Such a little one already has a sore throat
Infectious agents that cause inflammation in a child’s throat penetrate from the outside, so infection with viruses and bacteria occurs when the mother and child are in crowded places: in a clinic, store, public transport. Therefore, before treating a child’s throat at 4 months, you need to know the cause of the disease.
The most common infectious diseases are:
- angina;
- measles;
- laryngitis;
- ARVI;
- acute respiratory infections;
- scarlet fever;
- stomatitis;
- pharyngitis.
Redness of the throat and swelling of the mucous membrane, with fever, are also observed during teething, which can be easily determined by the doctor when he is consulted. Non-infectious throat diseases in infants are rare.
Throat diseases in children of infectious origin occur frequently and are characterized by the following symptoms:
- Angina . Caused by viruses or bacteria, less commonly by fungi and chlamydia. Acute sore throat is characterized by swelling of the throat mucosa and enlargement of the tonsils with their redness. The temperature in the viral form of sore throat can rise to 39°C, the bacterial form is milder, but is dangerous due to complications and the appearance of purulent plugs and ulcers.
- Measles . The child gets sick if vaccination has not been carried out. The disease is characterized by rashes on the skin, primarily on the face, body temperature rises, a barking cough, noisy breathing, redness and swelling of the throat.
- Laryngitis. It is caused, like sore throat, by viruses and bacteria. Catarrhal laryngitis manifests itself in edema and hyperemia of the laryngeal mucosa; subglottic, or false croup, is characterized by the appearance of ulcers and high fever; hypertrophic is characterized by the fact that the entire surface of the laryngeal mucosa becomes inflamed and swollen. A complication of laryngitis is false croup, when the glottis narrows greatly, the child may suffocate. A barking cough and wheezing are a sign of the onset of false croup, which requires an emergency call to the doctor.
- ARVI. Numerous strains of viruses cause acute inflammation of the nasopharynx, with high fever, severe redness and symptoms of rhinitis. The throat with ARVI is red and swollen, the child reacts to pain and inflammation by crying and anxiety, refusing to breastfeed.
- ORZ . Caused by bacteria, most often streptococci and staphylococci. The symptoms are the same as for ARVI, only less pronounced, the temperature is rarely above 38°C. If not treated correctly, the disease can cause complications in the form of bronchitis and inflammation of the sinuses.
- Scarlet fever . It manifests itself as a sore throat, high temperature up to 40°C, and a rash on the body, unlike measles, appears on the third day. The child regurgitates food, refuses to eat, and cries from a sore throat. The video in this article gives a characteristic picture of the development of the disease.
- Stomatitis . Most often caused by fungi of the genus Candida, it is characterized by the appearance of plaque on the mucous membrane of the entire oral cavity and pharynx. The temperature rises slightly, the tonsils usually remain of normal size.
- Pharyngitis . Inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa of bacterial origin. Sore throat appears, disturbing the baby. On examination, the throat is red, swollen, and may have a whitish coating. Unlike tonsillitis, tonsils with pharyngitis are not enlarged.
The causes of inflammatory diseases in the throat of an infant are most often viruses and bacteria, which easily affect the mucous membrane, since the infant’s immunity is not yet developed.
"Tantum Verde" for children's throat
Young children, especially in autumn and winter, often begin to suffer from respiratory diseases, and their throats regularly become red. The smaller the baby, the more difficult it is to cure. This is due to the fact that many medications are contraindicated for children under one year of age. Among other things, infants cannot tolerate certain procedures; for example, they are not yet able to blow their nose or open their mouth wide so that their parents can spray it with an aerosol or rinse it. During such procedures, parents of small children always experience certain difficulties.
The medicinal spray called "Tantum Verde", which is made by an Italian manufacturer, has a unique composition and properties. This medicine is good for treating common respiratory ailments. The drug produces an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect. But there are contraindications: the spray cannot be used for children under 3 years of age. In some cases, doctors prescribe this drug. But you shouldn't spray it. It is acceptable to apply it to the inside of the cheek or nipple, no more than 2-3 times a day.
The pediatrician himself must prescribe this drug based on the child’s well-being, his exact age and diagnosis. Among other things, the specialist takes into account whether the baby is allergic to the constituent ingredients. Only after collecting all this information will the pediatrician advise or, conversely, prohibit the use of this spray.
