Angina loves the heat. How to deal with it during the summer days?

Tonsillitis is predominantly a bacterial disease of the tonsils. It is not only encountered in winter. The bacteria causing tonsillitis, as well as all other bacterial microorganisms, thrive much better in a warm environment. Summer is the ideal time for the disease to develop and spread more quickly.

Angina, sore throat

Tonsillitis acuta is a bacterial disease that causes purulent inflammation of the tonsils. Up to 70% of these inflammations are caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes. To a lesser extent, it is also Streptococcus pneumoniae. We refer to tonsillitis as a streptococcal infection.

However, the causative agent can also be staphylococci, less often viruses and rarely fungi.

Maybe you didn't know: Did you get tonsillitis in the summer and your doctor didn't prescribe antibiotics? Maybe you don't need them. The most likely cause of your problem is a virus. It is statistically proven that viral tonsillitis outweighs bacterial tonsillitis in the summer.

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What are tonsils for?

The tonsils (tonsila palatina) are a paired organ of the Waldeyer's lymphatic ring. They are located between the palatine arches, which is why they are sometimes also called the palatine tonsils. Like the function of other lymphatic tissues in the human body, the function of the tonsils is characterized by "fighting" infection.

The tonsils are the boundary that often prevents infection from entering the body (respiratory tract, digestive tract) by trapping bacteria on its surface.

How does the infection spread?

Transmission of the infection is most often by droplet infection. The bacteria in the saliva of a sick person is released into the air during talking, sneezing or coughing. The spread of the infection is most often in collective settings such as schools, nurseries, outdoor schools, summer camps, dormitories and other facilities with large numbers of people. Unventilated rooms increase the risk.

It is also possible to become infected through very close, direct contact with a sick person, for example by hugging, kissing or other contact. Another way of becoming infected is through the use of contaminated objects. These are mainly cutlery, plates, toothbrushes.

Therefore, very often transmission occurs in family members, from one family member to another. Sharing a house or apartment and close contact with an infected person increases the possibility of getting sick.

You may not have known: You can get angina even before the first symptoms appear, during the incubation period. Despite being asymptomatic during this period, the bacteria are already present in the person's saliva and tonsils.

The incubation period for tonsillitis is relatively short. The short incubation period and the high infectiousness can cause an epidemic in the aforementioned groups of children. From the first contact with the sick person until the first symptoms appear, about 2 to 4 days elapse. In some cases, it may be even earlier.

How does tonsillitis manifest itself?

Purulent sore throats begin with a trivial scratching in the throat, which becomes more and more pronounced, accompanied by a change in voice colour and even a humming sound. The scratching turns into a sore throat, which prevents swallowing. This is painful with every bite. The inflamed tonsils swell, which intensifies the aforementioned difficulty in swallowing.

Fevers of up to 40 °C, sometimes more, are associated. Excessive sweating, vomiting and dehydration cause general weakness, malaise, fatigue, dizziness, excessive sleepiness. The fevers are accompanied by head, muscle and joint pain.

Why does it arise so often in summer?

Why angina arises in the winter is not strange. The transition from warm to cold days reduces the body's defenses. Such a weakened individual is more susceptible to the development of various diseases, including tonsillitis. Soaked shoes from water and snow, cold feet, freezing wind. All these are factors that further stimulate its occurrence. But how is it with angina in the summer?

Risk factors for angina in summer

As mentioned in the introduction, bacteria and all bacterial infections thrive best in a warm and humid environment. This is the ideal climate for their survival and multiplication. The right temperature, humidity, pH but also the presence of oxygen, carbon dioxide, trace elements, salts and minerals create a paradise for bacteria.

Interesting fact: Under conditions suitable for survival, bacteria multiply very rapidly by division or swarming. One reproduction cycle is called generation time and varies in duration from 10 to 15 minutes to 10 to 12 hours.

In the winter, it's cold temperatures, snow and wind. In the summer, the sun is hot and people don't count on catching a cold. But the opposite is true.

Chilled drinks with ice, ice cream, air conditioning, water temperature, cold bare feet, weather fluctuations even during summer, wind at the beach. These are all factors in the development of strep throat that are often underestimated.

Grandmothers never preferred ice-cold drinks. It's not as nonsense as it might seem at first glance. Very cold temperatures give the throat a shock. The same is true of ice cream.

Air conditioners work on a similar principle to cold drinks.

A hot person runs the air conditioner at too low a temperature and the body suffers a shock.

The same applies to bathing in insufficiently heated water, insufficient clothing in the event of a summer cold or wearing wet swimwear.

Ways to avoid angina

Since tonsillitis is a highly contagious infection, it is most important to avoid an already sick person. In the case of a mother and child, personal contact during the illness should be minimized, avoiding very close contact (kiss, hug).

In a shared household, ventilation should be done at regular intervals, as the infection can be dispersed in the air.

Similarly, in children's collective facilities. The person responsible for these children should keep the sick child isolated from the healthy ones in case of an outbreak of tonsillitis. It is best to contact the parents to come and take such a child into home care.

Risk factors should be avoided, not just the sick. Drinks and ice-cream should be at - 5°C below body temperature when they come into contact with the throat. Bathing is recommended only in sun-warmed water. If you are no longer going to bathe, you should take off your wet swimsuit and change into a dry one.

Everybody loves air conditioning, especially in the heat. However, the air conditioning in the room should not have a large temperature difference to the outside environment, and certainly not to the temperature of the human body.

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Medication and home therapy

The most important thing in treating angina is to find out what is causing it. Viral angina is prevalent in the summer and most of it does not require drug therapy. It can be managed by rest and sufficient fluid and vitamin intake. In more severe cases, the doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs.

Bacterial tonsillitis is quite common. It is prevalent in the winter, but can also occur in the summer. The first choice drug is penicillin. In case of allergy to this antibiotic, there are a wide range of other antibiotics that can be used.

In the case of tonsillitis, other medicines are also used together with antibiotics or antivirals. These are medicines that reduce pain (analgesics) and temperature (antipyretics). The most commonly used is ibuprofen. If the fever persists, antipyretics can be combined with each other (after consulting your doctor).

What should be taken care of when treating angina?

Bed rest is important. By resting and sleeping, the organism regenerates, which helps in its better immunity and faster recovery.

Ventilated rooms prevent airborne pathogens from accumulating in the room. This can result in a prolonged course of the disease or infection of another family member.

During illness, people should not forget about fluids. The amount of fluids should be higher than normal. Fluids and minerals are lost through temperature, sweating or vomiting. Therefore, they need to be replaced, and in increased amounts.

Sufficient fruit and vegetables are essential for the supply of vitamins, which help us to fight against any disease. The most important is sufficient vitamin B, C, D and of course zinc.

What about sore throats?

Hot teas for colds are a myth that accompanies us to this day. Many illnesses are manifested, for example, by a high temperature and, in the case of tonsillitis, a sore throat. It is absolutely inappropriate to drink hot drinks or soups.

Firstly, in bacterial infections, we create a suitable (warm) environment for the pathogens, which allows them to survive and multiply for longer. At the same time, we prevent our own body from suppressing high temperatures. Drinks should be lukewarm, never iced.

To soothe sore throats and unpleasant scratchy throats, various lozenges and gargles can be bought from the pharmacy. These contain active substances that have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. Mixtures of herbs are used in turn to make gargles. You can also make a suitable gargle at home with a decoction of herbs. Sage, chamomile and burdock are mainly used.

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