All About Tonsillitis

Read on to learn all about tonsilitis. The tonsils are two oval-shaped tissue pads at the back of your mouth (throat). Usually, healthy tonsils depict a pink color and are identical in size. However, in the case of tonsillitis, a medical condition that can cause pain and discomfort, your ENT specialist may notice minuscule depressions on them, i.e., crypts that have pus inside them (tonsil stones).

Tonsillitis is a discomforting condition that can affect daily life in several ways. One of the ways tonsillitis might affect you is that you may feel pain at the back of your throat when eating and drinking.

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What is Tonsillitis?

Tonsillitis occurs when your tonsils become inflamed, swollen, and extremely reddish in some instances. It is a commonly occurring medical condition that affects millions of people every year. From children to older adults, tonsillitis can affect anyone. Interestingly, it is highly common among youngsters as a childhood illness and often requires surgical treatments for a speedy recovery.

In addition, you should know that it is a contagious condition that occurs due to bacterial or viral infection. One of the general symptoms includes sore and/or strep throat. However, it is highly treatable, and symptoms can vanish within a week or ten days.

Are There Different Types of Tonsillitis?

Tonsillitis comprises two different types, which range in severity and harshness of symptoms. Additionally, different types of tonsillitis have varying levels of recovery time. Here are the three different types of tonsillitis:

Chronic Tonsillitis
Recurrent Tonsillitis
Acute Tonsillitis

Your ENT surgeon will have to diagnose to learn what kind of tonsillitis you may be experiencing to suggest the most effective treatment options.

Common Symptoms of Tonsillitis

As tonsillitis has three major types, the symptoms vary in range from mild to severe. Below are some of the most common symptoms that can affect your health throat condition.

Reddish tonsils
Swollen tonsils
High-fever
Neck pain (neck stiffness)
Sore throat (sometimes chronic)
Foul mouth smell
Muffled or scratchy voice
Headaches
Stomachache
Tender glands (lymph nodes in the neck)
Painful swallowing
White/Yellowish patches on tonsils

Because tonsillitis can also affect children from a young age, it is best to know how children react to its symptoms. Here are some pointers to help you identify this condition in your child:

Refusing to eat or drink
Painful swallowing
Drooling excessively
Unusual irritation

General Causes of Tonsillitis

Tonsils stand as the first line of defense against many types of infections and bacteria. Thus, they are likely to get affected by such infections at some point. Here are some of the bacterial and viral causes of tonsillitis:

Bacterial causes

Fusobacterium
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae
Staphylococcus Aureus
Mycoplasma Pneumonia
Bordetella Pertussis
Chlamydia Pneumonia

Viral causes

Flu
Influenza
Coronavirus
Rhinovirus
Adenovirus
Herpes (HSV)

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Treatment Options of Tonsillitis

Prescription Drugs

If the results of the diagnostic tests reveal the presence of bacteria at the back of your throat and on the tonsils, your ENT specialist might prescribe antibiotics. These antibiotics can consist of a one-time injection or a course of medication that you may take for several days until you start feeling better.

Surgical Treatment

Surgical procedures are highly invasive methods of treatment, but there is no need to worry. This is because ENT specialists possess the right skills and knowledge of conducting tonsils removal procedures. Besides, you will be under the effect of general anesthesia.

Surgeries become a viable option when you have difficulties breathing, eating, and drinking. Tonsils can swell and become the major obstruction in your throat, leading to sleep apnea at some chronic stage. The surgery, tonsillectomy, refers to the use of special equipment to remove the excessive reddish tissues from the tonsils only to leave a thin membrane that protects the sensitive parts of the throat. Other than scalpels, your ENT surgeon might use ultrasonic energy, lasers, electrocautery, and radio waves to remove the enlarged tonsils.