subject: A Few Causes And Symptoms Of Tonsillitis [print this page] Tonsillitis is the inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils. Simply put, it just means your tonsils are swollen. The inflammation or swelling may also include other areas of the back of the throat, such as the adenoids and the lingual tonsils. The tonsils are oval shaped masses of lymph gland tissue, called lymph nodes, located on both sides of the throat. Tonsillitis refers to the infection of these tonsils.
Usual symptoms or characteristics of tonsillitis involve pain in the throat and trouble swallowing. It can be diagnosed only by checking the tonsils using a tongue depressor and spatula, used in collecting a sample.
The sample taken from the tonsils will determine whether the infection is viral or bacterial. 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.
Tonsillitis is usually a self-limiting condition. This just means it usually gets better without treatment, and usually there are no complications. It is commonly experienced by children and young people, but it can happen to anyone.
Tonsillitis may also be transmitted from one person to another through social contact, such as coughing, sneezing and nasal fluids.
Tonsillitis has several types or variations: acute, recurrent, and chronic tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess.
Some common symptoms of tonsillitis are the following:
- Painful swallowing
- Painful mouth opening
- Headache
- High temperatures or fever
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Pain in the abdomen
- White or yellow spots of pus on the tonsils
- Swollen lymph glands under each side of the jaw
If the disease keeps coming back (or recurrent tonsillitis), a surgical removal of the tonsils is normally recommended. The procedure is called tonsillectomy.
