Mouth

Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis refers to inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsils (glands at the back of the throat, visible through the mouth). The inflammation may involve other areas of the back of the throat, including the adenoids and the lingual tonsils (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. Due to improvements in medical and surgical treatments, complications associated with tonsillitis, including mortality, are rare.  Tonsillitis most often occurs in children, but rarely in those younger than two years old.  Tonsillitis caused by bacteria (streptococcus species) typically occurs in children aged 5 to 15 years, while viral tonsillitis is more common in younger children.  Not all tonsillitis is strep throat and conversely, strep throat can still occur after your tonsils are removed.  Tonsillitis can occur with or without spots or films on the tonsil.  If there is visible swelling of the tonsils associated with a sore throat, this is a sign of tonsillitis.

  • 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. Some have recurrent collections of debris in the tonsils called tonsilloliths that are associated with these symptoms.
  • 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).

Tonsillitis is usually treated with a regimen of antibiotics. Fluid replacement and pain control are important. Hospitalization may be required in severe cases, particularly when there is airway obstruction. When the condition is chronic or recurrent, a tonsillectomy, a surgical procedure to remove the tonsils may be recommended. Peritonsillar abscess may need more urgent treatment to drain the abscess although some can be treated in the early stages with antibiotics.