Throat wind

A severe sudden soreness and swelling of the throat with labored breathing, discomfort in swallowing, phlegm-drool congestion, difficulty talking, and, in severe cases, there may be clenching of the jaw and stupor. Throat wind is caused by wind-heat with preexisting heat in the lung and stomach, with wind and fire fanning each other and binding to produce the sore throat. Successive generations of physicians have distinguished different forms of the disease and used different names for them. Distinction is made between acute throat wind, putrefying throat wind, throat-locking wind, and throat-entwining wind.

Biomedical correspondence: peritonsillar abscess (quinsy); retropharyngeal abscess; acute epiglottitis, diphtheritic croup.

Acute throat wind (急喉风 jí hòu fēng) (also called constricting throat wind) is characterized by sudden swelling of the throat.

Putrefying throat wind (烂喉风 làn hóu fēng) is marked by putrefaction and ulceration.

Throat-locking wind (锁喉风 suǒ hóu fēng) is characterized by clenched jaw.

Throat-entwining wind (缠喉风 chán hóu fēng) is characterized by rigidity of the neck as though it were entwined by a snake. See these entries.