Peritonsillar abscess is more common in teenagers and young adults. But children can get it too. The abscess is usually treated with antibiotics and surgery to drain the pus. Find out why children pick up so many viruses and illnesses during childhood, how to manage them and when to seek medical advice.
They also discuss the implications of the pandemic on general immunity and if the vaccination programme will extend to children. You should be able to treat a sore throat at home without needing to see a GP. Most people with tonsillitis find their symptoms improve within a week. You should also contact your GP if you have:.
If your child keeps getting tonsillitis your GP may suggest an operation to remove their tonsils. Tonsillectomy does help most children, but the benefit may only be small. Like all operations, having a tonsillectomy carries some risks. If your child has only mild sore throats, it may be better to wait and see if the problem clears up on its own. Usually, tonsillitis becomes less common as children get older. So having a tonsillectomy may not be necessary. Every child is different, though.
Your child's surgeon will talk through the pros and cons of a tonsillectomy. Tonsillitis is often caused by cold and flu viruses. You may also get tonsillitis if streptococcal bacteria affect your throat. You catch these infections in the same way you catch a cold.
Tiny droplets that pass into the air when you talk, cough or sneeze. You can use over-the-counter medicines to ease your symptoms. Rest and take it easy for a few days and drink plenty of fluids to keep you hydrated. This is particularly important if you have a temperature. Around one in three cases of tonsillitis is caused by bacteria. Most bacterial tonsillitis is caused by streptococcus bacteria. Our short survey takes just a few minutes to complete and helps us to keep improving our health information.
At Bupa we produce a wealth of free health information for you and your family. This is because we believe that trustworthy information is essential in helping you make better decisions about your health and wellbeing. It also follows the principles of the The Information Standard. Adenoid and tonsil removal is a procedure that involves taking away small lumps of tissue at the back of your nose and throat. This information was published by Bupa's Health Content Team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence.
It has been reviewed by appropriate medical or clinical professionals and deemed accurate on the date of review. Photos are only for illustrative purposes and do not reflect every presentation of a condition. Any information about a treatment or procedure is generic, and does not necessarily describe that treatment or procedure as delivered by Bupa or its associated providers. The information contained on this page and in any third party websites referred to on this page is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice nor is it intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Learn what to do if you develop tonsillitis as an adult. A number of different bacteria or viruses can cause tonsillitis, including group A streptococcus bacteria.
This same bacteria is the only cause of strep throat. Both conditions are contagious, so you should try to stay away from other people if you think you have either one.
Your doctor can use the same tests to diagnose both conditions. Treatments for bacterial tonsillitis and strep throat are also similar. Learn more about the differences between tonsillitis and strep throat. People who experience chronic tonsillitis may start to experience obstructive sleep apnea. This happens when the airways swell and prevents a person from sleeping well, which can lead to other medical issues if left untreated. This is known as tonsillar cellulitis.
The infection can also cause a person to develop a buildup of pus behind the tonsils, called a peritonsillar abscess. This can require drainage and surgery. These include rheumatic fever and poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. To decrease your risk of getting tonsillitis, stay away from people who have active infections. Ensure you and your child practice good hygiene habits.
Wash your hands often, especially after coming into contact with someone who has a sore throat, or is coughing or sneezing. Swollen tonsils may cause difficulty breathing, which can lead to disturbed sleep. Tonsillitis left untreated can result in the infection spreading to the area behind the tonsils or to the surrounding tissue. Symptoms of tonsillitis caused by a bacterial infection usually improve a few days after you begin taking antibiotics.
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that affects the throat and nose. Get the facts on causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention. White spots on the tonsils have several possible causes. Learn more about causes and treatments. Tonsillitis can be caused by various viruses or bacteria.
Strep throat is only caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria. A tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the tonsils, which are located in the back of your throat. Sometimes they can become infected. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. Tonsillitis symptoms. For tonsillitis that is caused by bacteria, antibiotics are prescribed.
If attacks of tonsillitis become frequent and severe, or cause complications, your doctor might suggest an operation, known as tonsillectomy.
Reasons for tonsillectomy can include:. Before doing a tonsillectomy, your doctor will give you a complete physical check-up. The tonsil pad has a large blood supply, and special note will be taken whether you have any abnormal bleeding tendencies. Your doctor will check to see if your tonsils are actively inflamed and, if so, will prescribe antibiotics for a few weeks to control the infection before the surgery.
Tonsillectomy is mainly done in children to treat snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea or frequent tonsillitis. If symptoms are mild, a wait and see approach is recommended as problems often get better as children get older. Safer Care Victoria has developed a Making a decision about tonsillectomy fact sheet to support parents in making an informed decision about tonsillectomy for their child together with their doctor. A tonsillectomy is performed under general anaesthesia. The glandular tissue is contained inside a skin lining which the surgeon cuts using scalpel, scissors, laser or an electric current electrocautery.
The surgeon then removes the tonsils. Each tonsil pad has a substantial blood supply, so electrocautery is often used to fuse the blood vessels and reduce the risk of haemorrhage. Safer Care Victoria has developed a number of videos where parents share their stories about caring for their child before, on the day of and after tonsil surgery.
Be guided by your doctor about how to care for yourself at home, but general suggestions include:. However, it will stop the tonsillitis and allow you to swallow more easily. You will probably lose your bad breath, if that was a problem.
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. People are less sensitive to smells the older they get, and women tend to have a more acute sense of smell than men. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo BPPV is a condition characterised by episodes of sudden and severe vertigo.
Croup is a viral infection of the throat and windpipe that causes noisy breathing, a hoarse voice and a harsh, barking cough. Deafness is caused by many different events including injury, disease and genetic defects. Tonsillitis is an infection or inflammation of the tonsils. The tonsils are balls of lymph tissue on both sides of the throat, above and behind the tongue.
They are part of the immune system, which helps the body fight infection. Tonsillitis often goes away on its own after 4 to 10 days. Most often, tonsillitis is caused by a virus. Less often, it is caused by the same bacteria that cause strep throat. In rare cases, a fungus or a parasite can cause it. Tonsillitis is spread through the air in droplets when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. You may then become infected after breathing in these droplets or getting them on your skin or on objects that come in contact with your mouth, nose, or eyes.
The main symptom of tonsillitis is a sore throat. The throat and tonsils usually look red and swollen. The tonsils may have spots on them or pus that covers them completely or in patches. Fever is also common. If you feel like you have a cold, with symptoms such as runny and stuffy nose, sneezing, and coughing, a virus is most likely the cause. If you have a sore throat plus a sudden and severe fever and swollen lymph nodes , but you do not have symptoms of a cold, the infection is more likely caused by bacteria.
This means you need to see a doctor and probably need a strep test. Your doctor will look at your throat to see if you have red and swollen tonsils with spots or sores. These signs can mean you have tonsillitis. Your doctor may do a throat culture or rapid strep test. These will show whether the tonsillitis is caused by streptococcus bacteria.
Your doctor may also ask about past throat infections. If you get tonsillitis often, it may affect the choice of treatment.
You may have a test for mononucleosis if your doctor thinks that you have mono. Tonsillitis caused by a virus will usually go away on its own. Treatment focuses on helping you feel better. You may be able to ease throat pain if you drink warm tea, take over-the-counter pain medicine, and use other home treatments. Do not give aspirin to anyone age 18 or younger. It is linked to a serious disease called Reye syndrome. If your tonsillitis is caused by strep, you need treatment with antibiotics.
Antibiotics can help prevent rare but serious problems caused by strep and can control the spread of infection. As a rule, doctors only advise surgery to remove tonsils tonsillectomy when there are serious problems with the tonsils. These include infections that happen again and again or long-lasting infections that do not get better after treatment and get in the way of daily activities.
You and your doctor can decide if surgery is the right choice after a careful review of your or your child's overall health. Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Tonsillitis is usually caused by a virus. Bacteria can also cause tonsillitis. The most common bacterial cause of tonsillitis is group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus GABHS , which also causes strep throat. Tonsillitis can also be caused by fungi or parasites.
But these causes are rare in people who have healthy immune systems. Tonsillitis is spread by close contact with an infected person. Droplets of disease-causing agents pathogens pass through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes.
You may then become infected after you breathe in these droplets. Infection can also occur if pathogens get on your skin or on objects that come in contact with your mouth, nose, eyes, or other mucous membranes. Symptoms usually appear about 2 to 5 days after exposure. A person with tonsillitis caused by strep bacteria is contagious early on and, without treatment, can remain so for up to 2 weeks. Antibiotics shorten the contagious period, and an infected person is no longer contagious about 24 to 48 hours after beginning antibiotic therapy.
More symptoms occur in most cases. Some or all of the following may be present:. When you have sore throat plus cold symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and coughing, the cause is most likely a virus.
Viral infection of the tonsils usually goes away without treatment within 2 weeks. Sore throat with, swollen glands, a sudden fever above Tonsillitis, in most cases, lasts 4 to 10 days. A bacterial sore throat may last slightly longer but usually gets better with antibiotics.
In some cases, tonsillitis can become chronic. Surgical removal of the tonsils tonsillectomy may be recommended for you or your child based on past health and results of physical examinations.
Tonsillitis caused by strep bacteria that is not treated with antibiotics may result in complications , such as ear and sinus infections or pockets of infection outside the tonsils peritonsillar abscess. More serious complications, such as rheumatic fever , are rare. Recurrent and ongoing chronic tonsillitis may obstruct the upper airway and cause problems, such as snoring, nasal congestion, and mouth breathing.
Sometimes chronic tonsillitis can lead to more severe conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea and heart and lung problems. But most children who have sleep apnea and enlarged tonsils do not have a history of tonsillitis.
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