Tonsillitis is a common physical condition among children and knowing about it only helps parents manage it. To describe the causes, signs and treatments of tonsillitis, Dr Utpal Sarmah, MBBS, MS (ENT), Tezpur Medical College and Hospital, Assam is with THIP Media. To access the whole interview, click on the link below:
Q. What is tonsillitis? What are the common symptoms?
Tonsils are lymphoid tissues. Their function is to provide local immunity. They are like the sentinels of our body. So anything that we inject into health, the tonsils are the first thing that will respond to it. So, tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils. This most commonly results after an infection. It can be a bacterial or a viral infection. In total, it is the inflammation of the tonsils due to infection either viral or bacterial.
Q. Are there any differentiating factors between the two types?
Bacterial tonsillitis and viral tonsillitis both have similar symptoms. Viral tonsillitis is mostly mild. In bacterial kind, the child might be more ill-looking or toxic. Viral variant will be of short duration, in the case of bacterial one, the duration of the symptoms might last longer. Furthermore, viral tonsillitis is mostly seen as a part of pharyngeal tonsillitis with symptoms like runny nose, fever, and body aches.
Q. What are the risk factors associated with developing tonsillitis?
Tonsillitis is the age group. It’s more common among children than adults. Apart from that, the risk factor says that whenever somebody is affected by tonsillitis, you end up with a germ from that person. Likewise, if you’re sharing food, utensils and drinks, they may also lead to this disease. Lastly, in immunocompromised patients, tonsillitis is fairly common.
Q. How is tonsillitis diagnosed by a doctor?
Tonsillitis is mostly a clinical diagnosis. We need not do any sort of fancy tests for it. If you look at the back of the throat, one can see those enlarged tonsils. They might appear reddish. Along with it, the clinical symptoms with which the patient is suffering. For an investigation to diagnose tonsillitis and bacteria, we do culture and sensitivity testing.
Q. What are the treatment options available for tonsillitis?
If you suspect it to be viral tonsillitis, it will subside within a period of a maximum of 5 to 7 days. We can prescribe symptomatic management, for relieving fever and antibiotics for relieving pain. Doctors can advise analgesics and warm saline gargles. These may occur if you suspect bacterial tonsillitis and the tonsils are swollen. Sometimes, the patient might need hospital admission if he’s having breathing difficulty because the tonsils might enlarge to a certain level that might obstruct the airway.
Q. When is the tonsillectomy recommended? What does the procedure involve?
We have definite criteria for tonsillectomy. That is the recommendation from the American Academy of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery. As per these, there are some absolute indications, and some are relative indications. Some of the common indications are- that any person with recurrent sore throat or tonsillitis, like more than seven episodes in a year.
In the same line, more than five episodes per year for two years. Or more than three episodes per year for three years. That is one category of patients whom we can take for tonsillectomy. The second category is patients with tonsillitis, if they develop some complication, like peritonsillar abscess, then a tonsillectomy is recommended. If the tonsils obstruct the airways, then also it is prescribed.
Q. What are the complications if it is untreated or unaddressed?
Broadly, tonsillitis is of two types. One is acute and the other is chronic. So acute tonsillitis, if left untreated, will result in chronic tonsillitis. Sometimes we might also see a peritonsillar abscess, which is an abscess forming within the bed of the tonsil.
Untreated cases of tonsillitis, especially in children, might develop some hard complications, like acute rheumatic fever or subacute bacterial endocarditis. Even some renal complications are also there, like mostly post-streptococcal sore throat. Like post-streptococcal, they will develop post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. So these are some lethal complications.
Q. What are some home remedies or precautions for it?
Taking warm gargles along with a pinch of salt might provide some amount of relief. To prevent it, avoid crowded places and wear masks while going outside. Because this germ mostly spreads from person to person – aerosol transmission. Similarly, avoid sharing drinks foods or utensils. One important thing is to change the toothbrush frequently.
Disclaimer: Medical Science is an ever evolving field. We strive to keep this page updated. In case you notice any discrepancy in the content, please inform us at [email protected]. You can futher read our Correction Policy here. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on or accessed through this website or it's social media channels. Read our Full Disclaimer Here for further information.
