Swelling of the throat - symptoms and treatment of the condition

Swelling of the throat - symptoms and treatment of the condition

Therefore, any problem related to this part of the upper respiratory tract entails a significant violation of a person's quality of life.

Swelling of the throat - what is it?

People of all ages can develop an extremely dangerous condition, symptomatically described as swelling of the throat. Such a secondary pathology (not an independent disease) is expressed in the narrowing of the lumen of the larynx and indicates the development of diseases of various genesis or injury to the organ. Swelling of the throat, the causes of which have an inflammatory or non-inflammatory nature, can be:

  • lightning - manifests itself with injuries of adjacent tissues or allergies; the clinical picture is formed within a few minutes;
  • acute – accompanies inflammatory processes and infectious diseases; temporary installation of a deployed clinic takes up to several hours;
  • chronic - is detected in case of neoplasms (benign or malignant); it takes from several days to several weeks for the full development of clinical manifestations.

Swelling of the throat with angina

International medical practice classifies inflammation of the palatine tonsils as acute tonsillitis. However, the more familiar name "angina" (translated from Latin means "to squeeze, suffocate") quite accurately describes the pathological process. Swelling of the throat in angina partially blocks the airways, and the patient begins to suffocate. This rather serious local complication is accompanied by:

  • stridor (difficult loud breathing);
  • pain when swallowing in the absence of cough;
  • swelling of the neck, change in the color of the skin of the face (paleness, and then bluishness).

Swelling of the throat with a cold

One of the symptoms accompanying colds is swelling of the larynx. Swelling of the throat during a cold is manifested by:

  • tingling in the throat, painful sensations when swallowing;
  • dry cough, change in voice timbre up to aphonia (complete loss);
  • difficulty breathing.

The expressiveness of the clinical picture depends on the disease, the individual reactivity of the patient's body. For example, with false croup, swelling of the throat in a child can be complicated by stenosis of the larynx.

Allergic swelling of the throat

Severe development is characterized by swelling of the throat during allergies. Many substances and agents can act as allergens - dust, insect bites, animal fur, some medicines, food products, etc. D. Allergic swelling of the throat is expressed by specific signs in addition to the main symptoms:

  • nasal congestion and discharge (rhinitis);
  • bronchospasm;
  • diarrhea and skin rashes;
  • lacrimation.

An especially dangerous form of allergic swelling of the throat is Quincke's edema.

How to remove throat swelling?

What and how to relieve throat swelling is decided by the doctor after diagnosing the condition and establishing the cause of its development. Depending on the risks assessed by the otolaryngologist, the patient may be prescribed a scheme of outpatient drug therapy or offered hospitalization.

How to remove throat swelling at home?

It is necessary to remember that at the first symptoms of swelling of the throat, urgent medical assistance is required. The possibility of rapid development of the condition requires emergency intervention by a doctor to save the patient's life. In a similar situation, the problem of how to relieve throat swelling at home comes down to providing emergency care before the arrival of an ambulance:

  • try to calm the patient down, as a panicked state contributes to an increase in swelling;
  • try to ensure air access (unbutton the collar, remove the tie, if possible increase the humidity of the room);
  • if there is absolute confidence in the allergic nature of throat swelling, then give the patient an antihistamine.
Updated: 16.04.2025
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Doctors who advise on this issue:
15experience (y.)
Berest Denys Volodymyrovych
Berest Denys Volodymyrovych
Otolaryngologist; Pediatric otolaryngologist
6experience (y.)
Kliachkivskyi Dmytro Nikolaevich
Kliachkivskyi Dmytro Nikolaevich
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24experience (y.)
Hryhorak Svitlana Fedorivna
Hryhorak Svitlana Fedorivna
Otolaryngologist; Pediatric otolaryngologist
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Pidnebesna Liubov Viacheslavivna
Pidnebesna Liubov Viacheslavivna
Pediatrician; A general practitioner is a family doctor; Physician
18experience (y.)
Kolupaieva Mariia Hennadiivna
Kolupaieva Mariia Hennadiivna
Otolaryngologist; Pediatric otolaryngologist
35experience (y.)
Kondratska Iryna Oleksandrivna
Kondratska Iryna Oleksandrivna
Otolaryngologist; Pediatric otolaryngologist
29experience (y.)
Shuklina Yuliia Volodymyrivna
Shuklina Yuliia Volodymyrivna
Otolaryngologist; Pediatric otolaryngologist
32experience (y.)
Stratovych Nataliia Viktorivna
Stratovych Nataliia Viktorivna
Pediatric otolaryngologist; Otolaryngologist
38experience (y.)
Bolotkin Yurii Petrovych
Bolotkin Yurii Petrovych
Otolaryngologist; Pediatric otolaryngologist
6experience (y.)
Kliachkivska (Liubelchuk) Inna Oleksandrivna
Kliachkivska (Liubelchuk) Inna Oleksandrivna
Otolaryngologist; Pediatric otolaryngologist
12experience (y.)
Labunets Roman Vitaliiovych
Labunets Roman Vitaliiovych
A general practitioner is a family doctor; Gastroenterologist; Pediatrician; Physician
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Mykhailov Roman Oleksandrovych
Mykhailov Roman Oleksandrovych
Pediatric otolaryngologist; Otolaryngologist

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