How To Determine If You Have Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is the inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils. Simply put, it just means your tonsils are swollen. The swelling or inflammation may also include other areas of the back of the throat, such as the lingual tonsils and the adenoids. The tonsils are lymph nodes (oval shaped masses of lymph gland tissue) found on both sides of the throat. An infection of these tonsils is known as tonsillitis.
Usual characteristics or symptoms of tonsillitis involve pain in the throat and trouble swallowing. Diagnosis can be done by checking the tonsils with a tongue depressor and spatula, used in collecting a sample.
The sample taken from the tonsils will show if the infection is bacterial or viral. The most common type of bacteria that causes tonsillitis is streptococcus. An example of a viral illness that can cause tonsillitis is glandular fever, but other viral infections may cause it as well. Examples of viral causes are herpes simplex virus, the measles virus, adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, Streptococcus pyogenes (GABHS) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
Bacterial infections will require antibiotics, while viral infections won’t respond to it.
Usually, tonsillitis is a self-limiting condition. This just means it usually gets better without treatment, and normally there are no complications. It is a very common condition in children and young people, but it can occur at any age.
Tonsillitis may also be transmitted from one person to another via social contact, like coughs, sneezes and nasal fluids.
There are several kinds or variations of tonsillitis: acute, recurrent, and chronic tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess.
People that complain of the following might have tonsillitis:
- Painful swallowing
- Painful mouth opening
- Headache
- High temperatures or fever
- Lack of appetite
- Vomiting
- Pain in the abdomen
- Yellow or white spots of pus on the tonsils
- Swollen lymph glands under each side of the jaw
Tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the tonsils. It is recommended for those with recurrent tonsillitis, where the disease keeps happening over and over.
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