Tonsillitis Overview
Learn About Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is inflammation (swelling) of the tonsils.
Sore throat - tonsillitis
The tonsils are lymph nodes in the back of the mouth and top of the throat. They help to filter out bacteria and other germs to prevent infection in the body.
A bacterial or viral infection can cause tonsillitis. Strep throat is a common cause.
The infection may also be seen in other parts of the throat. One such infection is called pharyngitis.
Tonsillitis is very common in children.
Common symptoms may be:
- Difficulty swallowing
- Ear pain
- Fever and chills
- Headache
- Sore throat, which lasts longer than 48 hours and may be severe
- Tenderness of the jaw and throat
Other problems or symptoms that may occur are:
- Problems breathing, if the tonsils are very large
- Problems eating or drinking
Swollen tonsils that are not painful or do not cause other problems do not need to be treated. Your provider may not give you an antibiotic. You may be asked to come back for a checkup later to assess your progress.
If tests show you do have strep, your provider will give you an antibiotic. It is important to finish all of your antibiotic doses as directed, even if you feel better. If you do not take them all, the infection can return.
The following tips may help your throat feel better:
- Drink cold liquids or suck on fruit-flavored frozen bars.
- Drink fluids, and mostly warm (not hot), bland fluids.
- Gargle with warm salt water.
- Suck on lozenges (containing benzocaine or similar ingredients) to reduce pain (these should not be used in young children because of the choking risk).
- Take over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen to reduce pain and fever. DO NOT give a child aspirin. Aspirin has been linked to Reye syndrome in children.
Some people who have repeated infections may need surgery to remove the tonsils (tonsillectomy).
Savio Manatt is an Internal Medicine provider in Olympia Fields, Illinois. Dr. Manatt and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Tonsillitis. His top areas of expertise are Familial Hypertension, Hypertension, Glucocorticoid-Remediable Aldosteronism, and Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young.
Primary Healthcare Associates Sc
Vivek Kaistha is an Internal Medicine provider in Flossmoor, Illinois. Dr. Kaistha has been practicing medicine for over 43 years and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Tonsillitis. His top areas of expertise are Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Metastatic Pleural Tumor, Osteomyelitis in Children, Endoscopy, and Bone Graft. Dr. Kaistha is currently accepting new patients.
Cressa Perish is a Family Medicine provider in Flossmoor, Illinois. Dr. Perish and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Tonsillitis. Her top areas of expertise are Vitamin D Deficiency, Type B Insulin Resistance Syndrome, Abdominal Obesity Metabolic Syndrome, Gastrostomy, and Endoscopy. Dr. Perish is currently accepting new patients.
Tonsillitis symptoms due to strep will often get better within 2 or 3 days after you start the antibiotics.
Children with strep throat should be kept home from school or day care until they have been on antibiotics for 24 hours. This helps reduce the spread of illness.
Complications from strep throat may be severe. They may include:
- Abscess in the area around the tonsils
- Kidney disease caused by strep
- Rheumatic fever and other heart problems
Contact your provider if there is:
- Excess drooling in a young child
- Fever, particularly 101°F (38.3°C) or higher
- Pus in the back of the throat
- Red rash that feels rough, and increased redness in the skin folds
- Severe problems swallowing or breathing
- Tender or swollen lymph glands in the neck
Summary: The aim of this study is to assess the occurrence of antibodies cross-reacting with autoantigens that have been detected in the context of SLE in patients with primary EBV infection over time compared to a control group. It is to establish a biobank of patients with primary EBV infection allowing to longitudinally analyze the immune response and its accompanying inflammatory processes with focus o...
Summary: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in children is a prevalent sleep disorder, and is characterised by repetitive complete or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep. It is an important disease as it is associated with a large spectrum of end-organ morbidities. Adenotonsillar hypertrophy is the commonest cause of OSA in children, however, the cause of the lymphoid tissue hypertrophy in some indiv...
Published Date: October 20, 2024
Published By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Chi DH, Tobey A. Otolaryngology. In: Zitelli BJ, McIntire SC, Nowalk AJ, Garrison J, eds. Zitelli and Davis' Atlas of Pediatric Physical Diagnosis. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 24.
Mitchell RB, Archer SM, Ishman SL, et al. Clinical practice guideline: tonsillectomy in children (update) - executive summary. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019;160(2):187-205. PMID: 30921525 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30921525/.
Zur KB. Tonsils and adenoids. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 431.