Merck Manual Professional Version. Mattke AC, ed. Common illnesses and concerns. Mayo Clinic; McInerny TK, et al. Pharyngitis and tonsillitis. American Academy of Pediatrics; Infectious mononucleosis. Sore throat. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drutz JE. Acute pharyngitis in children and adolescents: Symptomatic treatment. Reye's syndrome information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Kliegman RM, et al. Acute pharyngitis. Mitchell RB, et al. Clinical practice guideline: Tonsillectomy in children update. Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. DOI: Causes of tonsillitis 4. Treating tonsillitis. About tonsillitis Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils.
Tonsillitis is a common condition in children, teenagers and young adults. The symptoms of tonsillitis include: a sore throat and pain when swallowing earache high temperature fever over 38C The tonsils The tonsils are two small glands that sit on either side of the throat.
What causes tonsillitis? These types of infections spread easily, so it's important to try to avoid passing the infection on to others by: staying away from public places, such as work, school or nursery, until your GP says it's safe to return usually after the symptoms have passed coughing and sneezing into a tissue and disposing of the tissue washing hands before eating, after going to the toilet and, if possible, after coughing and sneezing Read more about the causes of tonsillitis.
Treating tonsillitis There's no specific treatment for tonsillitis, but you may be able to reduce the symptoms by: taking paracetamol or ibuprofen to help relieve pain drinking plenty of fluids getting plenty of rest If test results show that your tonsillitis is caused by a bacterial infection, a short course of oral antibiotics may be prescribed.
Chronic tonsillitis In most cases, tonsillitis gets better within a week. Surgery to remove the tonsils a tonsillectomy is usually only recommended if: you've had several severe episodes of tonsillitis over a long period of time repeated episodes are disrupting normal activities Read more about treating tonsillitis.
Complications of tonsillitis Complications of tonsillitis are rare and usually only occur if it's caused by a bacterial infection. Possible complications of tonsillitis include: a middle ear infection otitis media — where fluid between the eardrum and inner ear becomes infected by bacteria quinsy peritonsillar abscess — an abscess collection of pus that develops between one of the tonsils and the wall of the throat obstructive sleep apnoea OSA — where the walls of the throat relax during sleep, which causes breathing difficulties and poor sleep Other complications of tonsillitis are very rare and usually only occur if an underlying bacterial infection is left untreated.
They include: scarlet fever — a condition that causes a distinctive pink-red skin rash rheumatic fever — this causes widespread inflammation throughout the body, leading to symptoms such as joint pain, rashes and jerky body movements glomerulonephritis — an infection swelling of the filters in the kidneys that can cause vomiting and a loss of appetite. Symptoms of tonsillitis The main symptom of tonsillitis is a sore throat.
In some cases, the tonsils are coated or have white, pus-filled spots on them. Other common symptoms of tonsillitis include: high temperature fever over 38C Causes of tonsillitis Most cases of tonsillitis are caused by a viral infection. Viruses known to cause tonsillitis include: rhinoviruses — which cause the common cold the influenza virus parainfluenza virus — which causes laryngitis and croup enteroviruses — which cause hand, foot and mouth disease adenovirus — which is a common cause of diarrhoea the rubeola virus — which causes measles In rare cases, tonsillitis can also be caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever.
Bacterial tonsillitis Bacterial tonsillitis can be caused by a number of different bacteria, but it's usually due to group A streptococcus bacteria. How tonsillitis is spread Tonsillitis itself isn't contagious, but the infections that cause it are. Treating tonsillitis There's no specific treatment for tonsillitis and most cases get better within a week without treatment. Self-help Over-the-counter painkillers, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen , can help relieve painful symptoms such as a sore throat.
Children under 16 years of age shouldn't be given aspirin. Antibiotics Antibiotics may not be prescribed, even if tests confirm your tonsillitis is caused by a bacterial infection. The two main reasons for this are: in most cases, antibiotics won't speed up the recovery, but they can cause unpleasant side effects, such as stomach pain and feeling sick the more an antibiotic is used to treat a non-serious infection, the greater the chance it won't be effective in treating more serious infections; this is known as antibiotic resistance However, exceptions are usually made if: symptoms are severe symptoms show no sign of easing you or your child has a weakened immune system In these circumstances, a day course of penicillin is usually recommended.
Surgery Surgery to remove the tonsils is known as a tonsillectomy. You must have: a sore throat caused by tonsillitis episodes of sore throat that are disabling and stop you functioning normally seven or more well-documented, clinically significant, adequately treated sore throats in the preceding year or five or more such episodes in each of the preceding two years or three or more such episodes in each of the preceding three years Tonsillectomies are carried out under general anaesthetic , which means you'll be asleep during the procedure.
The operation can be carried out in a number of ways, as described below. Cold steel surgery — this is the most common method, where a surgical blade is used to cut the tonsils out.
Bleeding is controlled by applying pressure or the blood vessels may be sealed using heat generated by diathermy. Diathermy — a diathermy probe is used to destroy the tissue around the tonsils and to remove the tonsils. At the same time, the heat seals the blood vessels to stop any bleeding.
Coblation or cold ablation — this method works in a similar way to diathermy, but uses a lower temperature 60C. It's considered less painful than diathermy. Lasers — high-energy laser beams are used to cut away the tonsils and seal the underlying blood vessels shut.
Ultrasound — high-energy ultrasound waves are used in a similar way to lasers. You'll usually be able to leave hospital on the same day as you have surgery, or the day after. After surgery After surgery, it's likely you'll experience some pain at the site of the operation. Post-operative bleeding Bleeding at the site where the tonsils were removed is a fairly common complication of a tonsillectomy.
Extensive bleeding may need to be treated with surgery or a blood transfusion. Tweet Click here to share this page on Twitter This will open a new window. Print Click here to print this page This will open your print options in a new window.
Last updated:. How can we improve this page? Email Address e. Message Maximum of characters. Send feedback. Also on NHS inform. Other health sites. In some instances, swollen tonsils may signal tonsil cancer. Unusual symptoms, such as asymmetrically sized tonsils, should be checked by a doctor. Tonsillar hypertrophy is another term for enlarged tonsils. Learn what causes mono and how…. Strep throat is a bacterial infection that causes inflammation and pain in the throat.
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Tonsillitis is more commonly seen in children, but it can occur in adults, too. We explain the symptoms, treatment options, and when to seek help for…. Tonsillitis is contagious, but there are steps you can take to reduce your risk for catching or spreading this infection.
Tonsil stones, which are caused by calcium deposits in your tonsils, sometimes dislodge by themselves. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M.
Causes Other symptoms Could it be cancer? Other symptoms. Could it be cancer? Home remedies. When to see a doctor. The bottom line. Read this next. Tonsillar Hypertrophy. Medically reviewed by Elaine K.
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