Pharyngitis – colloquially called pharyngitis – (synonyms: pharyngitis (pharyngitis); ancient Greek φάρυγξ phárynx and -ίτις -itis; ICD-10 J31.2: Chronic pharyngitis; J02.-: Acute pharyngitis) refers to inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa. It usually occurs in conjunction with other inflammatory processes in the ear, nose, and throat (e.g., as rhinopharyngitis/colds). It is a very common disease.
The disease is usually caused by viruses (typical: influenza, parainfluenza, adenoviruses; atypical: herpes simplex, coxsackie, echo, Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, measles or rubella viruses) in the context of a cold or flu-like infection. Rarely, bacteria (mostly β-hemolytic group A streptococci = GAS, group A streptococci) also trigger the disease: In children, about 15-30% of pharyngitis is caused by streptococci, and in adults, 5-10%. In children younger than 2 years, streptococcal angina is very rare.
The contagiousness (infectiousness or transmissibility of the pathogen) of the viral pathogens is high. Chronic pharyngitis is not contagious.
The disease occurs more frequently in late winter and at the beginning of spring (cold air with low humidity).
Transmission of the pathogen (route of infection) occurs by droplet infection in the air (aerogenic).
Human-to-human transmission: Yes.
The duration of the disease is usually 7-14 days. 85% of affected persons are symptom-free after one week.
The disease can occur in both acute (sudden) and chronic (long-lasting) forms. The chronic form is much less common.
Chronic pharyngitis is classified as follows:
- Pharyngitis atrophicans et sicca – drying of the mucous membrane (e.g., in menopausal (menopausal) women, loss of mucous glands and of lymphoid tissue.
- Pharyngitis sicca – dry pharyngitis, for example, in smokers or dust workers.
- Pharyngitis simplex or hypertrophicans – often lasting for years, is associated with hypertrophy (proliferation) of the mucous glands.
A rare form of acute pharyngitis is angina lateralis (lateral gangrene). In this, mainly the so-called lateral cords are affected (lymphatics), which run from the upper posterior pharyngeal wall downward.
Frequency peak: The disease occurs predominantly in childhood and in older people (due to lower defense capacity of the immune system).
The prevalence (disease frequency) is about 1% in a general medical practice.
Course and prognosis: Due to the sore throat and difficulty swallowing, food intake is often impaired. Acute pharyngitis usually heals spontaneously (by itself). After three days, the sore throat has resolved in 30-40% of patients, and about 85% are free of fever. This time course is independent of GAS detection. Antibiotic therapy should be considered for the bacterial forms (especially if symptoms are severe and high fever is added). If group A beta-hemolytic streptococci are detected, antibiotic therapy is required in all cases to minimize the risk of rheumatic fever.Purulent complications such as peritonsillar abscess (abscess formation (encapsulated cavity filled with pus) in the loose connective tissue surrounding the palatine tonsil), otitis media (middle ear infection), or sinusitis (sinusitis) are rare to very rare.
