Introduction
The palate (palate) forms the roof of the oral cavity and is further divided into a hard and a soft palate. The hard palate consists of a hard bone plate and forms the front part of the oral cavity. The soft palate delimits the oral cavity in the direction of the rachis through the two soft palate sails, in the middle of which the uvula is located.
The palate plays an important role in food intake and speech. A swollen palate therefore always manifests itself with difficulty swallowing, hoarseness and usually with pain. Since the palate is located in close proximity to the tonsils (tonsils), it is very susceptible to bacterial or viral infections. The causes of a swollen palate will now be discussed in more detail below.
Causes
The most common cause of a swollen palate is infection. They can originate from an inflamed tooth root, the paranasal sinuses, the throat (pharynx) or the tonsils (tonsils) themselves. Inflammations that originate from the sinuses (sinusitis) or throat (pharyngitis) are usually viral and lead to a moderately painful swelling of the palate.
This can result in slight hoarseness, but above all pain when swallowing and sore throat, which usually lasts for a few days. Far more painful is a bacterial inflammation of the tonsils (acute angina tonsillaris). This is usually an infection with streptococci, accompanied by high fever, a very swollen palate, severe sore throat and difficulty swallowing.
The pain may even radiate into the ear. The severe swelling of the palate usually leads to hoarseness, or “clotted” speech. In children, the immense swelling of the palate can sometimes even lead to obstruction of the airways.
Bacterial tonsillitis should always be treated with antibiotics (penicillin) to prevent complications such as heart (endocarditis) and kidney involvement (glomerulonephritis). In case of frequently recurring tonsillitis, surgical removal of the tonsils may be considered. Another cause of a very painful swelling of the palate is Pfeiffer’s glandular fever.
Pfeiffer’s glandular fever is caused by the Epstein-Barr viruses, a group of viruses that belongs to the human herpes viruses. It is highly contagious and is transmitted via saliva, which is why the disease is also called “kissing-disease”. After infection, Pfeiffer’s glandular fever leads within one or a few weeks to a feverish tonsillitis with white-gray coatings, a severely swollen palate, and a generalized swelling of the lymph nodes.
It is accompanied by fever, hoarseness, severe sore throat and difficulty swallowing. Therapeutically, the main focus is on physical rest and the administration of painkillers and antipyretic drugs. An antibiotic is ineffective in the case of an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus.
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