Epiglottitis and pharyngitis are both relatively common, and the distinction between the two diseases needs to be made from three aspects: symptoms, physical examination and inspection. It is recommended not to judge on your own, so as not to delay the target, to the hospital ear, nose and throat department to clearly diagnose and follow the doctor’s instructions for treatment.
1. Symptoms: The symptoms of epiglottitis are mainly sore throat, mostly located above the laryngeal node, which can be accompanied by fever, chills and other systemic symptoms, and in severe cases, it can lead to dysphagia, respiratory distress, fainting and shock, etc. The symptoms of pharyngitis are usually just the pain in the throat. The symptoms of pharyngitis are dryness, pain, foreign body sensation, etc. The pain is mostly at the level of earlobe, which can be radiated to both ears, and can be accompanied by fever and headache in severe cases.
2. Physical examination: pharyngeal mucosa may or may not be congested and edematous during the examination of epiglottitis. While pharyngitis is often seen as diffuse congestion and edema of the pharyngeal mucosa, and in severe cases, it may be accompanied by lymphoid follicular hyperplasia of the posterior pharyngeal wall, bilateral pharyngeal lateral cord hyperplasia and other manifestations.
3. Examination methods: blood routine, patients with epiglottitis, white blood cell and neutrophil counts are obviously elevated, while patients with pharyngitis have normal counts or mildly elevated counts. In laryngoscopy, patients with epiglottitis have congested and swollen epiglottic tongue surface, and pus spots can be seen on the surface, while patients with pharyngitis do not have any abnormality of epiglottis.CT or MRI patients with epiglottitis have swollen epiglottis structure, and the shadow of the laryngeal cavity is narrowed, while patients with pharyngitis do not have any abnormality.
When pharyngeal discomfort occurs, it is recommended to go to the hospital as soon as possible to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology for a clear examination and standardized treatment under the guidance of the doctor, so as to avoid delays in treatment.