Verified By Dr EC Vinaya Kumar December 11, 2023
36853Overview
Tonsillitis is a common and nagging problem that occurs primarily in young children and teenagers, characterized by the inflammation or swelling of the tonsil glands. The tonsil glands, which are small oval shaped glands located at the posterior part of the throat . The tonsils are the immune system’s first line of defense against bacteria and viruses that enter your mouth. This function may make the tonsils particularly vulnerable to infection and inflammation.
The main causes of tonsillitis are viral infections, but in certain cases, bacteria may also infect the tonsil glands. Streptococcus pyogenes is the main bacterium that is responsible for tonsillitis. Bacterial tonsillitis is more common in growing children and adolescents than in smaller children. Bacterial tonsillitis takes longer to cure than viral tonsillitis if left untreated. In the case of tonsillitis due to bacterial infection, antibiotics are the main and most effective treatment.
You must seek medical help if your child or adolescent is showing the following symptoms:
However, you must visit the doctor immediately if your child shows the following symptoms:
Tonsillitis causes, as discussed earlier, can be due to both viral as well as bacterial infection. The most common type of bacterial tonsillitis caused by the strain Streptococcus pyogenes. There are other strains of the streptococcus bacteria that also cause tonsillitis. Tonsillitis caused due to viruses heals on its own even without any medical treatment.
The two major risk factors for bacterial tonsillitis are as follows:
Antibiotics. Bacterial tonsillitis can be cured by following an antibiotic course. For tonsillitis caused due to Streptococcus, the most common course of treatment is taking the antibiotic penicillin orally for 10 days. If there is an allergy to penicillin, your doctor will give your child some other antibiotic.
Your child needs to complete a full course of antibiotic treatment even if the symptoms go away. An incomplete course of antibiotics will make the bacteria resistant to the medicine, and the symptoms may get worse, sometimes leading to rheumatic fever or even renal dysfunction in some cases. You must seek guidance from the doctor regarding the dose and duration of the antibiotic intake.
For tonsillitis caused by viruses, antibiotics do not help. Instead, the following measures can be helpful:
Surgery. In certain cases, tonsillectomy that is surgically removing the tonsil glands remains the only option. Your doctor will generally suggest a tonsillectomy procedure when tonsillitis occurs frequently, or frequent bouts of bacterial tonsillitis occur that cannot be treated with antibiotics. Tonsillectomy is also opted when chronic tonsillitis leads to breathing problems in children or disturbs their normal sleep, swallowing, or digestion patterns.
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Chronic and frequent tonsillitis can lead to the following conditions:
Suppose your child is suffering from Strep throat or his/her tonsillitis are due to bacterial infection, and has not finished the complete antibiotic treatment. In that case, your child may experience the following complications:
Poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. It is a life-threatening condition in which the kidneys fail to function properly; as a result, excess fluids and nitrogenous wastes accumulates in the blood.
Rheumatic fever. An inflammation in the body that affects different organs and tissues of the body like the heart, joints, etc.
Tonsillitis is a moderately contagious disease, so following basic hygiene is of utmost importance to check its spread. You must encourage your children to follow the steps given below:
Being a responsible parent, it is also important to restrict your child’s activities when he/she is suffering from frequent tonsillitis so that they do not spread the infection to others. You may adhere to the following:
Conclusion
Tonsillitis can be due to either a virus or a bacterium. Tonsillitis, although a common problem in children and adolescents, can lead to complications if left untreated or ignored. It is important for parents to instil the habits of health and hygiene in their children right from early childhood to combat this disease.
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October 25, 2024