What causes swollen throat in children?

For children, the weather outside is still very cold. Sometimes if they go out wearing very little, they may catch a cold. This requires parents to give more care to their children. Once they catch a cold and have a fever, some children will develop hoarseness in the throat, which is a typical harm caused by a cold. So the question is, what is the reason for the child's swollen throat?

Causes

Pathogens are transmitted through droplets, direct contact, etc., and usually hide in the tonsil pits. When the human body's resistance is weakened due to fatigue, cold or other reasons, the pathogens multiply rapidly and cause illness. The inflammation starts in the tonsils and then spreads throughout the tonsils. In acute inflammation, the tonsil parenchyma is congested and infiltrated with polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and yellow-white spots can be seen on the mucosal surface. The tonsils are obviously swollen and many small abscesses may form. The purulent exudate composed of cellulose, desquamated epithelium and pus cells in the pits is discharged to the pit openings, so pus spots can be seen at the pit openings of the tonsil. The pathological changes of chronic inflammation are obvious, with active proliferation of lymphocytes and reticular cells and hypertrophy of tonsils. The mucosal epithelium of the pits is thickened, the surface is hyperkeratotic, or small ulcers form. Keratin, inflammatory exudate, desquamated epithelial cells, leukocytes, bacteria, etc. mix to form a cheesy plug that blocks the opening of the pit. Long-term inflammation can cause occlusion of small blood vessels in the tonsils and degeneration of lymphatic tissue, which is gradually replaced by connective tissue. After that, the tonsils will gradually shrink and finally lead to tonsil fibrosis. The opening of the pit is narrowed due to scarring, and its contents are difficult to expel, often becoming a lesion.

Clinical manifestations

(1) Ear symptoms:

Due to the hypertrophy of tonsils and the accumulation of inflammatory secretions in the nasopharynx, the pharyngeal opening of the Eustachian tube is blocked, which may lead to non-suppurative or suppurative otitis media, resulting in hearing loss, tinnitus and stuffy ears.

(ii) Nasal symptoms:

Enlarged tonsils are often complicated by rhinitis and sinusitis. The children have symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, mouth breathing, drooling, occlusive nasal sounds when speaking, and snoring during sleep.

(III) Symptoms of respiratory tract infection:

Since the secretions irritate the respiratory mucosa, they often cause inflammation of the throat, trachea and bronchitis, so patients may experience symptoms such as throat discomfort, voice changes, coughing and spitting, asthma, low fever, etc.

(iv) “Adenoid facies”:

Due to long-term mouth breathing, the development of facial bones is affected, the maxilla is long and narrow, and the hard palate is high and narrow. Protruding teeth, irregular dentition, poor bite, drooping mandible, thick lips, upturned upper lip, hanging lower lip, drooping outer canthus, and shallow nasolabial groove. If there is mental depression and dull and stupid facial expressions, it becomes the so-called "adenoid facies".