symptoms of tonsillitis?
Friday, December 23rd, 2011 at
5:05 pm
what are the symptoms of tonsillitis. I have difficulty swallowing and a very sore throat, do i have it?
Filed under: Tonsillitis Symptoms
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Go to a mirror (bring a flashlight and something to hold your tongue down). Look in your mouth to see if your tonsils are swollen and if they have "white stuff" on them. You do have the symptoms. Look at these pictures…if your tonsils look like this, then you have tonsillitis.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=active&biw=1243&bih=904&gbv=2&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=tonsillitis&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=#q=tonsillitis&hl=en&safe=active&gbv=2&tbm=isch&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=1&biw=1639&bih=800
Tonsillitis is a disorder involving inflammation of the tonsils.
There are two tonsils, situated on either side of the back of the throat and they form part of the body’s immune system.
They, like the rest of the immune system, contain special cells to trap and kill bacteria and viruses travelling through the body.
When the main site of infection is within the tonsils: they swell, become red and inflamed and may show a surface coating of white spots.
Tonsillitis is extremely common in children and young people, but it can occur at any age. The characteristics of the disease are pain in the throat and trouble swallowing.
Tonsillitis is usually a self-limiting condition, ie it gets better without treatment, and generally there are no complications.
These are the signs and symptoms of tonsillitis:
Pain in the throat (sometimes severe) that may last more than 48 hours and be associated with difficulty in swallowing. The pain may spread to the ears.
The throat is reddened, the tonsils are swollen and may be coated or have white spots on them.
Possibly a high temperature.
Swollen lymph glands under the jaw and in the neck.
Headache.
Loss of voice or changes in the voice.
If signs of a sore throat persist for more than a few days or are severe with marked difficulty in swallowing, high fever or vomiting, then you should consult your GP.
Warm drinks, soft food and the use of throat lozenges and/or a mouthwash may ease swallowing problems. Your pharmacist can advise on the most appropriate over-the-counter remedies.
Drink plenty of fluids. Understandably a sore throat can discourage swallowing, but in tonsillitis it’s common to lose a lot of body fluid through fever and mouth breathing. Dehydration adds considerably to feeling unwell.
In the vast majority of people, infection caused by a virus infection need only be treated with paracetamol (eg Calpol, Panadol) to bring the temperature down. Aspirin (eg Disprin) is also useful, but should not be given to children under 16 years of age, unless on the advise of a doctor.
In a small minority of patients, tonsillitis caused by bacteria is treated with penicillin or erythromycin (eg Erythroped) if the person is allergic to penicillin. If antibiotics are prescribed, it’s important to complete the full course, or the infection may not be cured.