Condition Lookup
Sub-Category:
Rare Infections
Number of Conditions: 2
Actinomycosis of the pharynx
Specialty: Nose and Throat
Category: Throat (Pharyngeal and Laryngeal) Conditions
Sub-category: Rare Infections
Symptoms:
sore throat; fever; difficulty swallowing; swelling or abscess formation; pus drainage
Root Cause:
Caused by Actinomyces bacteria, often following trauma or surgery to the pharynx, leading to a chronic infection with abscess formation.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Diagnosis is made through cultures, biopsy, or imaging studies that show abscess formation.
Treatment:
Treatment involves long-term antibiotics, typically penicillin or other beta-lactam antibiotics.
Medications:
Penicillin (a beta-lactam antibiotic) is commonly used for treating actinomycosis. Alternative antibiotics like doxycycline or clindamycin may be prescribed for penicillin-allergic patients.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Rare, but more common in immunocompromised individuals or those with poor oral hygiene.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Poor oral hygiene, recent dental work or trauma to the mouth or throat, immunocompromised states.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
With appropriate antibiotic therapy, the prognosis is generally favorable, though chronic or recurrent infections can occur.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Can cause chronic abscess formation, tissue scarring, and fistulas if left untreated.
Lemierre’s syndrome
Specialty: Nose and Throat
Category: Throat (Pharyngeal and Laryngeal) Conditions
Sub-category: Rare Infections
Symptoms:
sore throat; fever; neck pain; swelling in the neck; difficulty swallowing; sepsis; embolism in the lungs; pleuritic chest pain
Root Cause:
Caused by an infection with Fusobacterium necrophorum, typically following a throat infection (such as tonsillitis or pharyngitis), which leads to septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein and septic embolism.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Diagnosis is made based on clinical presentation, blood cultures, imaging (CT scan), and possibly throat culture.
Treatment:
Requires intravenous antibiotics (such as penicillin and metronidazole) and sometimes surgery to drain abscesses or remove infected tissue.
Medications:
Penicillin (a beta-lactam), Metronidazole (an antibiotic with anaerobic coverage), and sometimes Clindamycin (a lincosamide antibiotic) are used to treat the infection.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Rare but has increased in incidence over the past few decades, primarily in young, otherwise healthy individuals.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Recent history of throat infection (such as tonsillitis or pharyngitis), young age (adolescents and young adults), immunocompromised states.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
With prompt treatment, the prognosis can be good, but if untreated, it can lead to significant complications like sepsis or organ failure.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Septic embolism to the lungs (pulmonary embolism), septic shock, deep vein thrombosis, and death if not promptly treated.