Can someone tell me what exactly tonsillitis is, and the symptoms, please?
Well, I have a doctor’s appointment in 2 weeks, but I’m one of those people that when somethings wrong with me, I always freak out and think I’m dying. Anyway, I don’t have a sore throat or anything, but the past 2 weeks, a gland or lymph node has been swollen in my neck, right under my right ear, my friend told me it was my jugular because when I feel it, I can "feel" my pulse. I thought your jugular was in front of the neck, I don’t know. Then today, I looked at my tonsils and they look swollen with red dots on them. I’m just freaking out really bad, I feel like Vada from My Girl. Can someone please let me know what this might be? Thanks.
Filed under: Tonsillitis Symptoms
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mammers – Tonsillitis refers to inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils. The inflammation may involve other areas of the back of the throat including the adenoids and the lingual tonsils (areas of tonsil tissue at the back of the tongue). There are several variations of tonsillitis: acute, recurrent, and chronic tonsillitis and peritonsillar abscess.
Viral or bacterial infections and immunologic factors lead to tonsillitis and its complications. Nearly all children in the United States experience at least one episode of tonsillitis. Because of improvements in medical and surgical treatments, complications associated with tonsillitis, including mortality, are rare.
Who gets tonsillitis?
Tonsillitis most often occurs in children; however, the condition rarely occurs in children younger than two years. Tonsillitis caused by Streptococcus species typically occurs in children aged five to 15 years, while viral tonsillitis is more common in younger children. A peritonsillar abscess is usually found in young adults but can occur occasionally in children. The patient’s history often helps identify the type of tonsillitis (i.e., acute, recurrent, chronic) that is present.
What causes tonsillitis?
The herpes simplex virus, Streptococcus pyogenes (GABHS) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, and the measles virus cause most cases of acute pharyngitis and acute tonsillitis. Bacteria cause 15-30 percent of pharyngotonsillitis cases; GABHS is the cause for most bacterial tonsillitis.
What are the symptoms of tonsillitis?
The type of tonsillitis determines what symptoms will occur.
Acute tonsillitis: Patients have a fever, sore throat, foul breath, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), odynophagia (painful swallowing), and tender cervical lymph nodes. Airway obstruction due to swollen tonsils may cause mouth breathing, snoring, nocturnal breathing pauses, or sleep apnea. Lethargy and malaise are common. These symptoms usually resolve in three to four days but may last up to two weeks despite therapy.
Recurrent tonsillitis: This diagnosis is made when an individual has multiple episodes of acute tonsillitis in a year.
Chronic tonsillitis: Individuals often have chronic sore throat, halitosis, tonsillitis, and persistently tender cervical nodes.
Peritonsillar abscess: Individuals often have severe throat pain, fever, drooling, foul breath, trismus (difficulty opening the mouth), and muffled voice quality, such as the “hot potato” voice (as if talking with a hot potato in his or her mouth).