J U L YJ U L Y

Appropriatetreatmentforchildrenwithpharyngitis

When to see a doc tor

Seeyourdoctorifyourchildhasanyofthefollowing:

• Asorethroatthatissevereorlastslongerthanaweek• Difficultyswallowingorbreathing• Afeverover101F(38.3C)inbabiesunderage6monthsorafeverover103F(39.4C)inolderchildren.• Tenderorswollenlymphnodesintheneck• Pusorwhitepatchesatthebackofthethroat• Skinrashes,whichcanbea signofanunderlyingconditionsuchasmeasles,meningitisormono(infectious

mononucleosis)• Hoarsenessoracoughthatlastslongerthantwoweeks• Bloodinthesalivaorphlegm• Signsorsymptomsofdehydration,suchassunkeneyes,severeweaknessanddecreasedurineoutput• Contactwithsomeonewhohasbeendiagnosedwithstrepthroat• Sorethroatsthatgetbetterbutkeepcomingback• Excessivedrooling(inayoungchild)Informationprovidedbywww.mayoclinic.com

Sorethroat–

The dry scratchiness and painful swallowing that are the hallmarks of a sore throat can make your child

miserable.Asorethroat–knownmedicallyaspharyngitis–ismostoftencausedbyaviralinfectionsuchasa

coldortheflu(influenza).Inmanycases,asorethroatisthefirstsignthatyourchildisgettingsick.

Home Treatment

Mostsorethroatsgoawaywithouttreatment,oftenwithinaweekorso. That’s a good thing, because no medical therapy exits for sorethroats caused by viral infections. But increasing your child’s fluidintakeandgettingextrasleepcanhelpspeedtheirrecovery.Whenyourchild issick,offer fluidssuchaswater, soups, Jell‐Oandbroths.Ifyourchildfindsitextremelypainfultoswallow,havethemsip warm broth through a straw or suck on ice chips. Useacetaminophenoribuprofenasdirectedbyyourdoctorforfever.Untilyourchild’ssorethroathasrunitscourse,youcanalsotrythesetips:• Increase their fluid intake. Fluids such as water, juice, tea and

warm soup help replace fluids lost during mucus production orfever.Avoidgivingyourchildcaffeine,whichcancausedehydration.

• Garglewithwarmsaltwater.Mix½teaspoonofsaltinafullglassofwarmwater,haveyourchildgargle,andthenspit thewaterout.Thiswillsoothetheirthroatandclearitofmucus.

• Usehoneyandlemon(not for children 1 year of age and younger).Stirhoneyandlemontotasteintoaglassofveryhotwater,allowingittocooltoroomtemperaturebeforeyouoryourchildrensipit.Thehoneycoatsandsoothesyourthroat,andthelemonhelpscutmucus.This time‐tested recipe may relieve most of your pain — if onlytemporarily.

• Humidifytheair.Addingmoisture to theairpreventsyourchild’smucousmembranesfromdryingout.Thiscanreduceirritationandmake it easier to sleep. Be sure to change the water in a roomhumidifierdailyandcleantheunitatleastonceeverythreedaystohelppreventthegrowthofharmfulmoldsandbacteria.

• Avoid smoke and other air pollutants. Smoke irritates a sorethroat.Donotexposeyourchildrentosecondhandsmokeandavoidallfumesfromhouseholdcleanersandpaint.