Tonsillitis - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Definition

Tonsillitis is a disorder involving inflammation of the tonsils. There are several variations of tonsillitis: acute, recurrent, and chronic tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess. The tonsils are the visible part of the immune systems ring of protection that surrounds the back of the throat. Symptoms may include pain in the tonsil area and inability to swallow and/or painful swallowing. White spots may also appear on the tonsils.

Causes

When bacteria and viruses enter our body through our nose or mouth, our tonsils act as a filter engulfing the offending organisms in white blood cells. This may cause a low-grade infection in our tonsils. The most common bacterial cause of tonsillitis is group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS), which also causes strep throat. Tonsillitis is most common in spring and winter and happens most often in kids younger than 10. The vast majority of bugs that cause tonsillitis are viruses spread in droplets from sneezes and coughing.

There is no proof that exposure to cigarette smoke can cause tonsillitis, children who live with a smoker have a higher incidence of tonsillectomy.

Symptoms

The main symptom of tonsillitis is a sore throat. Additional symptoms are :-

Vomiting
Bad breath
Nasal congestion and runny nose
Swollen lymph nodes
Red, swollen
White patches on the tonsils
Difficulty swallowing
Headache
Fever
Redness of the eyes
Abdominal pain
Ear pain
Raw, bleeding patches on the tonsils
Visible growth of bacteria on the tonsils

The specific symptoms of tonsillitis will depend largely on the underlying cause. Tonsillitis caused by an upper respiratory virus, for instance, may start gradually and be accompanied by nasal congestion.

Treatment

In the vast majority of people, infection caused by a virus infection need only be treated with paracetamol (eg Calpol, Panadol) to bring the temperature down. Aspirin (eg Disprin) is also useful, but should not be given to children under 16 years of age, unless on the advise of a doctor. Because most sore throats are caused by viruses, antibiotics are not routinely needed. However, penicillin is the most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics.

Surgery to remove the tonsils (tonsillectomy) may be necessary for those patients suffering from repeated, severe infections that refuse to respond to treatment and significantly interfere with their school or work schedule but it is now a relatively uncommon operation compared to previous practice.

Tonsillitis is a disorder involving inflammation of the tonsils. There are several variations of tonsillitis: acute, recurrent, and chronic tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess. The tonsils are the visible part of the immune systems ring of protection that surrounds the back of the throat.

Alien writes for Woman health . Check out tonsillitis treatment and you might be interested in vitamins and minerals information.

Article Source: http://www.positivearticles.com. PositiveArticles.Com does not vouch for or necessarily endorse the contents of this article.

If you are copying this article for publishing on a website or ezine, please use the "Ezine Ready" button from the righthand menu.

Article Search

Home

	Print This Article
	Add To Favorites
	Ezine Ready