Tonsillitis is a common childhood illness, but teenagers and adults can get it too. It usually goes away on its own after three to four days. Tonsillitis is not contagious, but the infections that cause it, such as colds and flu, are.
To stop these infections spreading, stay off work or keep a child at home, use tissues when you cough or sneeze and throw them away afterwards, and wash your hands.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Tonsillitis can feel like a bad cold or flu. The tonsils at the back of the throat will be red and swollen.
The main symptoms in children and adults are:
- a sore throat
- difficulty swallowing
- hoarse or no voice
- a high temperature of 38°C or above
- coughing
- a headache
- feeling sick
- earache
- feeling tired.
- Sometimes the symptoms can be more severe and include:
- swollen, painful glands in the neck
- white pus-filled spots on your tonsils at the back of the throat
- bad breath.
HOW CAN IT BE TREATED?
Tonsillitis usually has to run its course, but to help ease the symptoms, it is advisable to:
- get plenty of rest
- drink cool drinks to soothe the throat
- take paracetamol or ibuprofen
- gargle with warm salty water (children should not try this)
- speak to a pharmacist about options for lozenges, throat sprays or antiseptic solutions.
WHEN SHOULD YOU SEE A GP?
You should see a GP if the child has:
- white pus-filled spots on the tonsils at the back of the throat
- a throat so painful that it is difficult to eat or drink
- symptoms that do not go away after four days.
Depending on whether the tonsillitis is viral or bacterial, it may either simply have to run its course or be treated with antibiotics. Tonsils are only removed in cases of severe, recurring tonsillitis.
WHAT COMPLICATIONS CAN OCCUR?
Complications with tonsillitis are very rare, but they do happen and mostly affect young children aged between two and four.
Sometimes an abscess can grow between the tonsils and the wall of the throat, which is called quinsy.
Symptoms of quinsy include:
- a severe sore throat that quickly gets worse
- swelling inside the mouth and throat
- difficulty speaking
- difficulty swallowing
- difficulty breathing
- difficulty opening the mouth.
If you or a child experience any of these symptoms, you should contact a GP urgently or go straight to A&E.
Adapted from the NHS website, www.nhs.uk/conditions/tonsillitis
