Tonsillitis: what to look for and how to treat it

Okay, tonsillitis is an important condition, especially if you have kids. The tonsils are a pair of lymph nodes that you will find dangling at the back of your throat.

They function to protect your body from getting an infection. But then what happens when the part of your body that helps to prevent infection gets infected? Well, what you get is tonsilitis.

What is tonsillitis?

Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis (source: britannica.com)

This is an illness that can occur at any age, but it is more common in kids. When your tonsils are red, swollen, and painful, then they are infected and you have tonsillitis.

It usually clears all on its own in a few days, but sometimes it can be chronic and last much longer. The condition itself is not contagious, but the infections that cause it can be.

What causes it?

Tonsillitis can have viral or bacterial causal agents. Viral tonsillitis usually just clears up on its own. For the one caused by bacteria, a course of antibiotics can be prescribed to clear it up.

For chronic and recurring tonsillitis, though, research has suggested that it’s caused by biofilms in the tonsil folds. Biofilms are a collection of microorganisms, they usually have better antibiotic resistance. This makes them stick around long enough to cause a reinfection.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of this illness include:

  • sore throat
  • swallowing difficulty
  • scratchy voice
  • fever
  • headache

If you have chronic tonsillitis, the symptoms can be even more serious, including:

  • Swollen and painful neck glands (you can feel them at the side of the neck)
  • You can see white, puss-filled areas on your tonsils located at the back of your throat
  • halitosis (bad breath)

How to treat it

Tonsillectomy
Tonsillectomy (source: medlineplus.gov)

Most times, tonsillitis will usually clear up in a few days. And to stop spreading it, you might want to stay home for a few days. You should also cough and sneeze into a tissue and then throw them away after and wash your hands.

Also, drink cool drinks (to give your throat some relief), and take some paracetamol. You can also gargle with warm, salty water, just like you would do when you have a sore throat.

Another option here is to speak with your pharmacist. They would know what to give you. They can give you throat sprays, lozenges, or antiseptics (if it is caused by a bacteria)

The treatment of last recourse is to have your tonsils surgically taken out- tonsillectomy. This rarely happens, and doctors only recommend it when you have chronic or recurring tonsillitis.

Final words

Tonsillitis is not a particularly serious infection, but it could spread if left untreated. It may also lead to other health issues including difficulty in breathing.

Once you have identified what it is through the symptoms, make sure to get it treated and you will be fine. Remember to stay home and not cough or sneeze into someone’s face if you have tonsillitis.

SHARE
Segun is an ardent lover of fashion, reading and writing. When Segun isn't swimming baking or cooking he is punching away keys somewhere on the African continent. He is a creative with a penchant for finding (and in some cases creating) new and interesting ways of doing things. For more details, send an email to info@healthfacts.ng

26 COMMENTS

  1. Reading your article has greatly helped me, and I agree with you. But I still have some questions. Can you help me? I will pay attention to your answer. thank you.

  2. I may need your help. I’ve been doing research on gate io recently, and I’ve tried a lot of different things. Later, I read your article, and I think your way of writing has given me some innovative ideas, thank you very much.

  3. Terrific post however I was wondering if you could write a litte
    more on this subject? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more.

    Bless you!

  4. Unquestionably believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification seemed
    to be on the net the easiest thing to be aware of. I say
    to you, I definitely get annoyed while people consider worries that
    they just do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without
    having side-effects , people can take a signal.
    Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

  5. I like the helpful information you supply in your articles.
    I will bookmark your weblog and test again here frequently.
    I’m somewhat certain I’ll be informed lots of new stuff right here!
    Best of luck for the next!

  6. Great goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to
    and you are just extremely great. I actually like what you have acquired here,
    really like what you are stating and the way in which you say it.
    You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart.
    I can’t wait to read far more from you. This is really a tremendous
    website.

  7. I’m not that much of a internet reader to
    be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go
    ahead and bookmark your site to come back later.

    Many thanks

  8. OMG! This is amazing. Ireally appreciate it~ May I show my hidden information on a secret only I KNOW and if you want to seriously get to hear
    You really have to believe mme and have faith and I will show how to learn SNS marketing Once
    again I want to show my appreciation and may all the blessing
    goes to you now!.

  9. Hey are using WordPress for your blog platform?
    I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and
    set up my own. Do you need any html coding expertise to make your own blog?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  10. After I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. There has to be a way you can remove me from that service? Many thanks!

  11. My partner and I stumbled over here by a different page and thought I might as well check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to looking into your web page again.

  12. Howdy would you mind letting me know which webhost you’re using?
    I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot
    faster then most. Can you suggest a good web hosting provider at
    a honest price? Thank you, I appreciate it!

  13. Hi there! This post couldn’t be written any better!
    Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate!
    He continually kept talking about this. I’ll send this post to him.
    Fairly certain he will have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing!

  14. Hello there, You have done an excellent job. I
    will definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends.
    I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this web site.

  15. Hello! I know this is sort of off-topic but I needed to ask. Does managing a well-established blog like yours take a lot of work? I am completely new to writing a blog but I do write in my journal on a daily basis. I’d like to start a blog so I can easily share my own experience and views online. Please let me know if you have any recommendations or tips for new aspiring blog owners. Appreciate it!

  16. Я оцениваю тщательность и точность исследования, представленного в этой статье. Автор провел глубокий анализ и представил аргументированные выводы. Очень важная и полезная работа!

LEAVE A REPLY