Tonsillitis

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Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis is an infection

Infection

An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host resources to multiply ....
of the tonsil

Tonsil

Palatine tonsils, occasionally called the faucial tonsils, are the tonsils that can be seen on the left and right sides at the back of the throat....
s and will often, but not necessarily, cause a sore throat

Sore Throat

Sore Throat were a United Kingdom crust punk / grindcore band, formed in Yorkshire in 1987. They are known for being one of the earliest exponents of the grindcore subgenre known as "noisecore", as well launching the careers of several prominent members of the British heavy metal music community....
and fever

Fever

Fever is a frequent medical sign that describes an increase in internal body temperature to levels above normal. Fever is most accurately characterized as a temporary elevation in the body's thermoregulatory set-point, usually by about 1?2 ?C ....
.

e are 3 main types of tonsillitis: acute, subacute and chronic
Chronic (medicine)

In medicine, a chronic disease is a disease that is long-lasting or recurrent. The term chronic describes the Course of the disease, or its rate of onset and development....
. Acute tonsillitis can either be bacterial or viral

Viral

The term viral is used to describe anything related to virus.Viral may also mean:*See Virality,*Viral phenomenon, such as viral marketing and viral video....
in origin. Subacute tonsillitis is caused by the bacterium Actinomyces
Actinomyces

Actinomyces is a genus of the actinobacteria class of bacteria. They are all Gram-positive and can be either Anaerobic organism or Facultative anaerobic organism ....
. Chronic tonsillitis, which can last for long periods if not treated, is almost always bacterial.

toms of tonsillitis include a severe sore throat (which may be experienced as referred pain

Referred pain

Referred pain is a term used to describe the phenomenon of pain perceived at a site adjacent to or at a distance from the site of an injury's origin....
to the ears), painful/difficult swallowing, crouch coughing, headache, fever and chills.

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Encyclopedia

Tonsillitis is an infection

Infection

An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host resources to multiply ....
of the tonsil

Tonsil

Sore Throat

Fever

Types

There are 3 main types of tonsillitis: acute, subacute and chronic
Chronic (medicine)

In medicine, a chronic disease is a disease that is long-lasting or recurrent. The term chronic describes the Course of the disease, or its rate of onset and development....
. Acute tonsillitis can either be bacterial or viral

Viral

Symptoms

Symptoms of tonsillitis include a severe sore throat (which may be experienced as referred pain

Referred pain

Exudate

An exudate is any fluid that filters from the circulatory system into lesions or areas of inflammation. Its composition varies but generally includes water and the dissolved solutes of the blood, some or all blood protein, white blood cells, platelets and red blood cells....
coating of white patches (i.e. pus

Pus

Pus is a whitish-yellow, yellow or yellow-brown substance produced during inflammatory pyogenic bacteriuml infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess....
). There may be enlarged and tender neck cervical lymph nodes

Cervical lymph nodes

Cervical lymph nodes are lymph nodes found in the neck....
.

Causes

Tonsillitis may be caused by Group A streptococcal bacteria
Group A streptococcal infection

The group A streptococcus bacterium is a form of Streptococcus bacteria responsible for most cases of streptococcal illness. Other types may also cause infection....
, resulting in strep throat

Strep throat

Streptoccal pharyngitis or streptococcal sore throat is a form of group A streptococcal infection that affects the pharynx and possibly the larynx and tonsils....
. Viral tonsillitis may be caused by numerous viruses such as the Epstein-Barr virus

Epstein-Barr virus

The Epstein-Barr Virus , also called Human herpesvirus 4 , is a virus of the herpesviridae , and is one of the most common viruses in humans....
(the cause of infectious mononucleosis

Infectious mononucleosis

EBV infectious mononucleosis is an infectious, viral disease which most commonly occurs in adolescents and young adults. It is characterized by fever, sore throat and fatigue , along with several other possible signs and symptoms....
) or the Adenovirus.

Sometimes, tonsillitis is caused by a superinfection

Superinfection

In virology, superinfection is the process by which a cell , that has previously been infected by one virus, gets coinfection with a different strain of the virus, or another virus at a later point in time....
of spirochaeta and treponema

Treponema

Treponema is a bacterial genus.The major species is Treponema pallidum.The species Treponema hyodysenteriae and Treponema innocens have been reclassified into Serpula....
, in this case called Vincent's angina

Trench mouth

Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis is a polymicrobial infection of the gums leading to inflammation, bleeding, deep Oral ulcer and necrotic gum tissue....
or Plaut-Vincent angina.

Although tonsillitis is associated with infection, it is currently unknown whether the swelling and other symptoms are caused by the infectious agents themselves, or by the host immune response to these agents. Tonsillitis may be a result of aberrant immune responses to the normal bacterial flora of the nasopharynx

Nasopharynx

The nasopharynx is the uppermost part of the pharynx. It extends from the base of the skull to the upper surface of the soft palate; it differs from the Mouth and larynx parts of the pharynx in that its cavity always remains patent ....
.

Treatment

Treatments of tonsillitis consist of pain management medications and lozenges

Throat lozenge

A throat lozenge or cough drop is a small, medicated candy intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to lubricate and soothe irritated tissues of the throat , possibly from the common cold or influenza....
. If the tonsillitis is caused by bacteria

Bacteria

The Bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals....
, then antibiotics are prescribed, with penicillin

Penicillin

Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. They are Beta-lactam antibiotics used in the treatment of bacterial infections caused by susceptible, usually Gram-positive, organisms....
being most commonly used. Erythromycin

Erythromycin

Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic that has an antimicrobial spectrum similar to or slightly wider than that of penicillin, and is often used for people who have an allergy to penicillins....
is used for patients allergic to penicillin.

In many cases of tonsillitis, the pain caused by the inflamed tonsils warrants the prescription of topical anesthetics for temporary relief. Viscous lidocaine

Lidocaine

Lidocaine or lignocaine is a common local anesthetic and antiarrhythmic agent drug. Lidocaine is used topically to relieve itching, burning and pain from skin inflammations, injected as a dental anesthetic, and in minor surgery....
solutions are often prescribed for this purpose.

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug originally marketed as Brufen, and since then under various other trademarks , most notably Nurofen, Advil and Motrin....
or other analgesic

Analgesic

An analgesic is any member of the diverse group of Medication used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
s can help to decrease the edema

Edema

File:Oedema.jpgEdema or Oedema , formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin, or in one or more cavities of the body....
and inflammation, which will ease the pain and allow the patient to swallow liquids sooner.

When tonsillitis is caused by a virus, the length of illness depends on which virus is involved. Usually, a complete recovery is made within one week; however, some rare infections may last for up to two weeks.

Chronic

Chronic (medicine)

In medicine, a chronic disease is a disease that is long-lasting or recurrent. The term chronic describes the Course of the disease, or its rate of onset and development....
cases may indicate tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy

A tonsillectomy is a list of surgical procedures in which the tonsils are removed. Sometimes the adenoids are removed at the same time....
(surgical removal of tonsils) as a choice for treatment

Additionally, gargling with a solution of warm water

Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
and salt

Salt

A salt, in chemistry, is defined as the product formed from the neutralisation reaction of acids and base . Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically electric charge ....
may reduce pain and swelling.

Complications

An abscess

Abscess

An abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue on the basis of an infection process or other foreign materials ....
may develop lateral to the tonsil during an infection, typically several days after the onset of tonsillitis. This is termed a peritonsillar abscess

Peritonsillar abscess

Peritonsillar abscess, also called PTA or quinsy, is a recognised complication of tonsillitis and consists of a collection of pus beside the tonsil ....
(or quinsy). Rarely, the infection may spread beyond the tonsil resulting in inflammation and infection of the internal jugular vein giving rise to a spreading septicaemia infection (Lemierre's syndrome

Lemierre's syndrome

Lemierre's syndrome is a disease usually caused by the bacterium Fusobacterium necrophorum, and occasionally by other members of the genus Fusobacterium and usually affects young, healthy adults....
).

In chronic/recurrent cases (generally defined as seven episodes of tonsillitis in the preceding year, five episodes in each of the preceding two years or three episodes in each of the preceding three years), or in acute cases where the palatine tonsils become so swollen that swallowing is impaired, a tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy

A tonsillectomy is a list of surgical procedures in which the tonsils are removed. Sometimes the adenoids are removed at the same time....
can be performed to remove the tonsils. Patients whose tonsils have been removed are certainly still protected from infection by the rest of their immune system.

Bacteria

Bacteria

Mucus

In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is a viscous colloid containing antiseptic enzymes and immunoglobulins that serves to protect Epithelium in the respiratory,...
which accumulates in pits (referred to as "crypts") in the tonsils may produce whitish-yellow deposits known as tonsillolith

Tonsillolith

A tonsillolith is a piece of calcareous matter which forms in the rear of the mouth, in the Palatine_tonsils#Tonsilar_crypts of the palatine tonsils ....
s. These may emit an odour due to the presence of volatile

Volatility (chemistry)

Volatility in the context of chemistry, physics and thermodynamics is a measure of the tendency of a substance to vaporize. It has also been defined as a measure of how readily a substance vaporizes....
sulfur

Sulfur

Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element that has the atomic number 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant Valence non-metal....
compounds.

Hypertrophy of the tonsils can result in snoring, mouth breathing, disturbed sleep, and obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep apnea caused by obstruction of the airway. It is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. These episodes, called apneas , each last long enough that one or more breaths are missed, and occur repeatedly throughout sleep....
, during which the patient stops breathing and experiences a drop in the oxygen content in the bloodstream. A tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy

A tonsillectomy is a list of surgical procedures in which the tonsils are removed. Sometimes the adenoids are removed at the same time....
can be curative.

In very rare cases, diseases like rheumatic fever

Rheumatic fever

Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease disease which may develop two to three weeks after a Group A streptococcal infection . It is believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity and can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain....
or glomerulonephritis

Glomerulonephritis

Glomerulonephritis, also known as glomerular nephritis, abbreviated GN, is a kidney disease characterized by inflammation of the glomerulus, or small blood vessels in the kidneys....
can occur. These complications are extremely rare in developed nations but remain a significant problem in poorer nations.

External links

an image showing difference between viral and bacterial tonsillitis