WHAT IS ACUTE TONSILLITIS?
Acute Tonsillitis is an acute inflammation of the parenchyma of tonsil or tonsillar tissue.Children are mostly affected and this ordinary simple disease can sometime lead to serious complications.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?
A) Predisposing Causes:
B) Exciting causes:
Predisposing Causes may be general
1) General :
- Overcrowding and unhygienic living.
- Low resistance of body due to malnutrition or debilitating disease like measles.
2) Local :
- Eating infected and unhygienic things like Pakoras,ice creams, cold beverages, too much toffees and unhygienic food and milk.
- Presence of local sepsis in oral cavity e.g. bad teeth, sinusitis and rhinitis.
- Mouth breathing due to nasal obstruction.
- Remnants of tonsils after operation which are liable to be infected offs,and on.
B) EXCITING CAUSES:
Infection as either direct or droplet in natural. The organism responsible are Streptococcus
Beta heamolyticus and occasionally Pneumococcus.
WHAT IS THE PATHOLOGY?
The parenchyma of tonsils get congested,swollen and there is outpouring of inflammatory exudate which starts collecting in crypts.These are white spots may occasionally form a whitish membrane.It can be easily wiped off from the surface
If inflammation is severe ,then anterior and posterior pillars get congested,swollen and oedematus.
Infection is either controlled or in some cases it spreads locally and or to different places
through blood vessels.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
- Temperature( 102-103 degree F)
- Discomfort in throat followed by actual pain in throat.
- Foul smelling breath due to infection.
- Pain in neck due to enlarged tender glands.
- This episode lasts for 3-5 days and then subsides.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS?
- Patient look toxic,face is flushed and red due to temperature.Lips are dry,tongue is coated. unpleasant breathe coming from mouth.
- Tonsils are enlarged and congested.
- There may be white spots or membrane over tonsils.
- Pillars,uvula are congested.
- Regional Lymph glands are enlarged and tender.
- Temperature 102-103 degrees For more with rapid pulse but within proportion.
- Urine may contain traces of albumin.
- Blood picture shows leukocytosis.
- Throat swab shows Streptococcus haemolyticus.
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT?
It is purely medical.
1) LOCAL TREATMENT:
- Hot saline gargles.
- Mild antiseptic paints e.g.15-20% Argyrol or Mandle's paint,Tannic acid 2% in Glycerine.
- Antibiotic throat lozenges.
2) GENERAL TREATMENT:
- Rest in bed.
- Relieve pain by analgesics.
If the patient gets 3-4 attacks of acute tonsillitis in a year, then advice Tonsillectomy which should be done 4-5 weeks after acute attack has subsided, when tonsils come to their original size so the less bleeding occurs.
Caleb wheeler on August 29, 2015:
Is this Tonsillitis? I think I have it
drdspervez (author) from Pakistan on January 27, 2011:
Dr. Amilia , Thanks a lot for reading my article and your good comment.God bless you.
DR. DURRESHAHWAR PERVEZ
Dr. Amilia on January 27, 2011:
Dr. Durreshahwar Pervez, you should write a medical book. This is very good stuff and very thoroughly written.