Sore throat, fever, chills and body aches... Familiar symptoms? One always has a difficult time if he has tonsillitis.First, some general information on the illness:
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics. It usually takes around three weeks to recover.
Common symptoms of tonsillitis include:
red and/or swollen tonsils
white or yellow patches on the tonsils
tender, stiff, and/or swollen neck
swollen lymph nodes
sore throat
painful or difficult swallowing
cough
headache
sore eyes
body aches
earache
fever
chills
nasal congestions
ulceration
In cases of tonsillitis, the surface of the tonsil may be bright red and with visible white areas or streaks of pus.
What are the causes?
1. The most common causes of tonsillitis are the common cold viruses (adenovirus, rhinovirus, influenza, coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus). It can also be caused by Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, or HIV.
2. The second most common causes are bacterial. The most common bacterial cause is Group A β-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS), which causes strep throat. Less common bacterial causes include: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, pertussis, Fusobacterium, diphtheria, syphilis, and gonorrhea.
How does the illness start?
Under normal circumstances, as viruses and bacteria enter the body through the nose and mouth, they are filtered in the tonsils.Within the tonsils, white blood cells of the immune system mount an attack that helps destroy the viruses or bacteria, and also causes inflammation and fever.The infection may also be present in the throat and surrounding areas, causing inflammation of the pharynx.This is the area in the back of the throat that lies between the voice box and the tonsils.
How is it treated?
Treatments to reduce the discomfort from tonsillitis symptoms include:
pain relief, anti-inflammatory, fever reducing medications (acetaminophen/paracetamol and/or ibuprofen)
sore throat relief (salt water gargle, lozenges, warm liquids)
If the tonsillitis is caused by group A streptococus, then antibiotics are useful with penicillin or amoxicillin being first line.A macrolide such as erythromycin is used for patients allergic to penicillin. Patients who fail penicillin therapy may respond to treatment effective against beta-lactamase producing bacteria such as clindamycin or amoxicillin-clavulanate. Aerobic and anaerobic beta lactamase producing bacteria that reside in the tonsillar tissues can "shield" group A streptococcus from penicillins. When tonsillitis is caused by a virus, the length of illness depends on which virus is involved. Usually, a complete recovery is made within one week; however may last for up to two weeks. Chronic cases may be treated with tonsillectomy (surgical removal of tonsils) as a choice for treatment.
May there be any complications?
Complications may rarely include dehydration and kidney failure due to difficulty swallowing, blocked airways due to inflammation, and pharyngitis due to the spread of infection.
An abscess may develop lateral to the tonsil during an infection, typically several days after the onset of tonsillitis. This is termed a peritonsillar abscess (or quinsy). Rarely, the infection may spread beyond the tonsil resulting in inflammation and infection of the internal jugular vein giving rise to a spreading septicaemia infection (Lemierre's syndrome).
In chronic/recurrent cases (generally defined as seven episodes of tonsillitis in the preceding year, five episodes in each of the preceding two years or three episodes in each of the preceding three years), or in acute cases where the palatine tonsils become so swollen that swallowing is impaired, a tonsillectomy can be performed to remove the tonsils. Patients whose tonsils have been removed are still protected from infection by the rest of their immune system.
In very rare cases of strep throat, diseases like rheumatic fever or glomerulonephritis can occur.
What should a Mom be aware of?
Always call for the doctor if you suppose that your kid may have tonsillitis since it is rather difficult to determine and only an experienced doctor can prescribe the correct treatment in each case.
In the acute phase it is important to make sure your child is in bed for physical activity may increase the possibility of heart disease development.
The food shouldn`t damage the tonsils, it should be tender including broths, smashed vegetables, etc.
The main rule is to make your kid drink plenty of warm water (mineral water, compotes or tea).
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