Fungal tonsillitis: symptoms and treatment in children and adults

Author of the article

General practitioner

Fungal tonsillitis develops more often in children than in adults, since their immunity is repeatedly exposed to pathogenic microflora. The child’s body’s defenses are just being formed, which is a common cause of the development of the disease. In order not to get a chronic form of fungal tonsillitis, you need to know its symptoms, rules of treatment and prevention.

What is fungal sore throat?

Fungal tonsillitis in a child is an infectious disease that affects the lymphadenoid pharyngeal ring. The causative agent of this disease is a fungus such as Candida or Aspergillus. Often this microflora connects to itself the coccal flora, which aggravates the course of the disease. The clinical symptoms of candidal tonsillitis manifest themselves more actively in preschool children, as this is due to reduced immune forces.

The above fungi belong to the opportunistic microflora that every person has. When the immune system works normally, then all “good” and “bad” microorganisms get along with each other without causing problems. If a failure occurs, the number of opportunistic microorganisms increases, which leads to an inflammatory process.

It is necessary to treat fungal sore throat in children only with the help of a doctor, since the drugs are completely different from those used to fight a viral or bacterial infection. To eliminate symptoms, the doctor must determine the cause of the existing fungal infection. The disease can be asymptomatic for a long time, which complicates the further stage of treatment.

Doctors' recommendations

To prevent the development of the disease, it is important to restore the body’s defenses, especially after an infectious or viral illness. Nutrition should be balanced. Your daily diet should include vegetables and fruits. Among the main recommendations of doctors are:

• it is necessary to consume fermented milk products;
• take vitamin supplements;
• to refuse from bad habits;
• promptly treat inflammatory processes and infectious lesions.

When a symptom of the disease appears, it is important to consult a doctor, since at the initial stage of development of the disease, treatment is much more effective and faster. To improve immunity, it is recommended to eat right, walk in the fresh air, regularly ventilate the room, avoid stress and anxiety, and engage in physical therapy.

Causes of fungal sore throat

Treatment of fungal tonsillitis in children with timely diagnosis is successful if the doctor was able to accurately determine the cause of this disease. Candida sore throat has begun to appear more and more often, both in children and adults. This is due to frequent self-medication with antibiotic drugs. When spontaneous use of antibiotics does not produce results, many begin to either extend the course or replace one pill with another. All this can provoke dysbacteriosis, which is one of the main reasons for the development of candidal tonsillitis.

Those children and adults who are sick with hypovitaminosis or vitamin deficiency can become victims of this disease. Such conditions appear both due to improper and insufficient nutrition, and due to frequent adherence to strict diets. Women who constantly sit on mono-diets have every chance of “earning” fungal sore throat.

Another reason for the development of this infectious disease is immunosuppressive therapy, which is mandatory in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Fungal tonsillitis can develop as a complication due to the appearance of chronic diseases of the oral cavity. When a patient does not treat stomatitis for a long time, this condition begins to gradually disrupt the usual microflora in the mouth.

Do not forget that in children chronic candidal tonsillitis can develop due to frequent infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract.

Newborns born to women with thrush have a high risk of developing fungal tonsillitis. While passing through the birth canal, a child can become infected with new flora that is harmful to his body. The child’s immunity is not fully formed, so he is easily exposed to the negative effects of pathogenic viruses, bacteria and fungi.

What complications may arise?

If therapy is not carried out in time, the disease can become chronic. If left untreated, fungal tonsillitis can lead to death of the patient. Due to uncontrolled proliferation of fungi, the following may occur:

• disturbances in liver function;
• formation of pus in the lymph nodes;
• development of esophageal candidiasis;
• inflammatory process of the heart muscle, kidneys.

To prevent the development of complications, it is important to consult a doctor in time and strictly follow all the doctor’s recommendations. Self-medication is prohibited. Only after a thorough diagnosis of the patient will the doctor prescribe suitable effective treatment.

Fungal tonsillitis symptoms

A fungus on a child’s tonsils is not the only sure symptom of the disease. Candida sore throat can be identified by a number of signs:

• Sore throat, which is more pronounced when swallowing, but its intensity is not as severe as with bacterial or viral sore throat;
• Soreness;
• General weakness, malaise due to the process of intoxication caused by the metabolic products of the fungus;
• Slight enlargement of the lymph nodes, but there is no pain when pressing;
• Yellow or yellowish-white coating that covers the palate, uvula, tongue, tonsils, cheeks;
• Bad breath;
• The mucous membrane of the throat becomes bright red;
• When the plaque is separated, a hyperemic mucosa with a small pit remains underneath, but it does not bleed;
• Changes in taste sensations;
• Sleep and work impairment.

Some patients experience a slight increase in body temperature, but not higher than 37.5 degrees. In babies, body temperature may remain within normal limits. The list of symptoms of fungal tonsillitis in young children is supplemented by the following changes:

• Pain in the ears develops;
• Salivation increases;
• Appetite worsens;
• The child becomes capricious and sleeps poorly;
• Irritability increases.

In children, symptoms are more pronounced than in adults, so the disease can be diagnosed earlier. Due to late diagnosis, the disease can quickly become chronic, which is fraught with a number of complications.

Diagnosis of fungal sore throat

In order to determine the diagnosis, you need to see an otolaryngologist or infectious disease specialist. To begin with, the doctor must conduct an oral survey of changes in the patient’s well-being. Parents should tell how long the negative symptoms have been manifesting, who has or has not previously been affected by such a disease, what treatment methods were used. After the interview, the doctor begins to examine the patient. To do this, the tonsils are palpated and the throat is examined. With fungal tonsillitis, the mucous membrane becomes bright red, and the tonsils are swollen and increased in size.

If there is a white coating similar to cottage cheese on the mucous membrane, then the doctor must take a swab from the throat. Even if the plaque is insignificant, it is worth conducting a laboratory analysis. To take a throat swab from a child, they need to be seated in a chair and asked to open their mouth. The tip of the tongue is implanted with a spatula, and a sterile cotton swab is passed along the throat. The collected material is sent to the laboratory. If the child is too small, then the parents take him in their arms. They hold his body with one hand and his head with the other. The baby's legs are squeezed between his own legs.

If a newborn baby gets sick, they simply swaddle him tightly and take a smear. To determine the advanced state of the condition and accurately identify the cause of the disease, the doctor prescribes a general blood test, urine test and a throat smear.

Treatment with antifungal drugs

Drugs that fight fungi are called antifungals or antimycotics. They have a pronounced fungistatic effect, which is important in the process of getting rid of mold and yeast-like fungi. Their action is aimed at reducing the biosynthesis of cytochrome. This principle helps to reduce the intensity of the formation of the fungal cell membrane. For children, doctors prescribe the following medications:

• Fluconazole;
• Levorin (has a minimal likelihood of side effects);
• Nistatitis (fights pathogenic fungi in both the oral cavity and the gastrointestinal tract).

If you abuse these drugs, then the chance of getting adverse reactions in the form of vomiting, diarrhea, severe abdominal pain and chills increases sharply. The dosage is indicated only by the attending physician.

Treatment with antifungal drugs is only one direction in therapy. Some other medications play an important role:

• Faringosept. Prescribed to reduce general intoxication of the body, as well as reduce the chances of connecting to a fungal bacterial infection.
• Immunal, Betaferon, Amiksin, Derinat - act as immunostimulants, which is important for accelerating the healing process.
• Givalex, Tantum Verde, Hepilor - help as antiseptics for external treatment of the mucous membrane.
• Vitamin complexes, including B vitamins, vitamin C, K.
• Ibuprofen, Nurofen, Paracetamol - at elevated body temperature.

The choice of physical procedures and medications is made only by the attending physician. Self-medication in this case is not appropriate, since the disease easily passes from the acute phase to the chronic phase.

Therapy process

How is fungal tonsillitis treated in adults? To get rid of the disease, therapy must be comprehensive. First of all, it is important to stop the proliferation of fungi and prevent them from spreading to internal organs. During the treatment process, the doctor prescribes antifungal agents, immunostimulants and antibacterial drugs. During the period of drug therapy, it is recommended to use a physiotherapeutic method of treatment.

How to treat fungal tonsillitis? Fluconazole is used to treat the disease. The duration of the course of treatment is determined strictly by the doctor. If a person is prone to allergies, then the drug should be replaced with an analogue - “Nystatin”. To effectively treat the disease, it is important to choose the right method of administration. Nystatin should be taken one tablet several times a day for 12 days. The tablets need to be dissolved, not swallowed. The drug is non-toxic and does not harm general health. The main disadvantage is that it is poorly absorbed into the intestines.

Symptoms and treatment of fungal tonsillitis in adults should be discussed with your doctor. The choice of treatment method depends on the severity of the disease.

Treatment with gargling and lubricating the throat

To sanitize the oral cavity, doctors often prescribe various sprays and rinses. External local treatment of the throat mucosa will help prevent the spread of fungi throughout the body, starting with the gastrointestinal tract. For such purposes, the following drugs are prescribed:

• Chlorhexidine. Kills aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and fungi of the genus Candida. This drug is used to irrigate the pharynx.
• Iodinol. The drug helps improve local immunity and fights pathogenic flora.
• Miramistin. The drug is added to rinsing solutions.

Folk remedies are also often used to combat pathogenic fungi. A simple soda solution proves high efficiency. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of warm water. Treat the throat with the solution 3-4 times a day after meals. Soda actively fights yeast-like pathogens, softens the mucous membrane, which reduces soreness and soreness in the throat.

Calendula decoction is used as a rinse. 1 tablespoon of calendula flowers is poured into 200 ml of water, boiled for 5 minutes over low heat. Cool and filter. Gargle 3 times a day. The product helps remove plaque and reduce fungal activity. In addition to calendula, it is appropriate to use a decoction of chamomile, oak bark, St. John's wort, and sage.

Ginger root shows good antifungal properties. It is added in crushed form to tea.

How to avoid complications after a child has a sore throat?

To prevent fungal tonsillitis from causing complications, you must promptly seek help from a doctor. You should not wait until the condition becomes completely critical. When a child complains of a sore throat, he should immediately visit an otolaryngologist. A sore throat is the first sign of illness. If dysbacteriosis is diagnosed at the same time, the treatment will be long and complex.

When the doctor examined the child in time, then with proper treatment you can get rid of this infectious disease in 6-8 days. When the condition is advanced, the process of full recovery will take longer.

Parents of children should understand that candidal tonsillitis causes various complications:

• Laryngeal stenosis;
• Candidosepsis (blood infection by fungi);
• Immunodeficiency;
• Blockage of the airways by secretions.

With proper treatment, complications are rare, but the possibility of their occurrence cannot be ruled out. All four options are quite dangerous. With stenosis of the larynx and blockage of the respiratory tract, the child begins to choke, shortness of breath and cough appear. With such symptoms, you should not wait for the condition to improve; you should immediately call an ambulance. Treatment of immunodeficiency and candidosepsis should be carried out by qualified doctors.

For what reasons does it occur?

In frequent cases, candidal tonsillitis occurs due to a disruption in the functioning of the immune system, after a viral or infectious disease. Due to reduced immunity, parasitic microorganisms easily penetrate into the body. Quite often, a child develops a disease because one of the parents is a fungal carrier, and this despite the fact that the symptoms of the disease that indicate this may be absent. Among the main reasons why a child’s throat mucosa is affected are:

• dysbacteriosis;
• a chronic pathological process that occurs in the pharyngeal mucosa;
• violations of the basic principle of nutrition;
• strict diet;
• infection of the tonsils;
• long-term use of antibiotics;
• disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine glands.

It is important to promptly treat the disease, since the disease can progress and provoke the development of health problems. Photos of fungal tonsillitis can be seen on the Internet, but only a doctor can determine the presence of the disease and make an accurate diagnosis.