Rigi Disease

**Rigi's disease** is a rare disease that is characterized by chronic inflammatory processes in the oral cavity and pharynx. It was described in 1863 by the Italian doctor Alfredo Righi and named after him.

The description of the disease is as follows: Rigi disease is a chronic inflammatory process of the oral cavity and nasopharynx. In most cases it is observed in adult men, rarely in children.

As a rule, people complain of burning, pain, dry mouth, tonsillitis and pharyngitis. In addition, there may be copious amounts of mucous

**Rigi's disease** is a chronic disease of the salivary glands, manifested by the formation of fibrous granules, sometimes by multiple oozing or ulcerating ulcers in the mouth, more often on and around the tongue.

**Etiology and pathogenesis.** The etiology is unknown exactly, but this disease is considered as a specific granulomatous reaction of the salivary gland after a viral infection, trauma, chronic hypoxia or intoxication (alcohol, chemotherapy or radiotherapy). It is assumed that Rigi disease develops in immunocompetent individuals against the background of primary chronic generalized catarrhal gingivitis with epithelial necrosis and capillary proliferation, when there are many leukocytes, reticular cells and small lymphocytes in the interstitium of the gum (with panherpathic disease there are usually no reactions of the regional lymph node and hyperplastic lesions do not develop changes in the salivary glands).

Riga's disease (lat. Rhygadenitis, synonym: Rhadinodontitis) is characterized by the appearance in the submandibular fold and sublingual region of diffuse dense elastic nodules ranging in size from millet grains to hazelnuts, with poorly defined boundaries. Their consistency is densely elastic, the surface is uneven, the color is yellowish-white, sometimes brownish. The course is chronic. On the surface of the nodules, soft, painless and inactive infiltrates with a somewhat fibrinous consistency are determined by palpation. In almost all cases, remission is observed within a month.