Chronic Tonsillitis

Best Chronic Tonsillitis Treatment in MRC Nagar, Chennai

Tonsillitis is an infection of the tonsils, the two masses of tissue present at the back of the throat. The tonsils serve as filters and trap germs that can otherwise enter the airways, leading to infection. They create antibodies for fighting against infection. However, at times, they are attacked by viruses or bacteria. This can cause them to be swollen.
In case the symptoms of tonsil persist beyond two weeks, it is called chronic tonsillitis. It is common in adults and adolescents. If you experience chronic tonsillitis, you must consult an ENT doctor in Chennai.

What are the symptoms of chronic tonsillitis?

When you have chronic tonsillitis, you are likely to experience the following symptoms:

• Sore throat
• Bad breath
• Pain or difficulty while swallowing
• Chills
• Fever
• Headaches
• Stomach aches
• Neck and jaw tenderness
• A stiff neck
• Tender or enlarged lymph nodes

Chronic tonsillitis might also lead to tonsil stones in places where debris like saliva, dead cells and food accumulate in the crevices of the tonsils. Eventually, the debris is going to harden into small stones. If these don't loosen on their own, you might consult a tonsillitis specialist in MRC Nagar.
A doctor might recommend a tonsillectomy for surgically removing the tonsils if you have chronic tonsillitis.

What causes chronic tonsillitis?

Tonsils prevent illnesses. They create white blood cells that help the body combat infections. So, tonsils fight viruses and bacteria entering the body through the nose and the mouth. But this causes them to be vulnerable to these invaders. Chronic tonsillitis can be caused by bacterial or viral infection.

• Viral Tonsillitis
  Viruses commonly cause tonsillitis. The viruses that lead to the common cold are usually the source of this disorder, but other viruses can also lead to this ailment. These include:
  • HIV
  • Rhinovirus
  • Epstein-Barr Virus
  • Hepatitis A

  When you have viral tonsillitis, the symptoms include a stuffy nose and coughing.

• Bacterial Tonsillitis

  Bacteria cause about 35%-30% of tonsillitis cases. Usually, it is strep bacteria that causes you to have strep throat. Nevertheless, other bacteria can also lead to tonsillitis.

When do you need to see a doctor?

When you experience the following symptoms, you should see a doctor:

• Muscle weakness
• Fever that is higher than 103 degrees Fahrenheit
• A sore throat for over two days
• Neck stiffness

At times, tonsillitis can lead the throat to swell to such an extent that it starts bleeding. In case this happens, seek immediate help.

Request an appointment at Apollo Spectra Hospitals, MRC Nagar, Chennai.

Call 1860 500 2244 to book an appointment.

How do you prevent chronic tonsillitis?

For reducing the risk of getting tonsillitis, stay away from someone who already has the infection. In case you already have tonsillitis, stay away from others until you know that you are no longer contagious.

Make sure that you and your loved ones practice good hygiene. Wash your hands with soap, particularly after contacting a person who has a sore throat or is sneezing or coughing.

How is chronic tonsillitis treated?

At-home-care treatments can make a patient more comfortable and will help with recovery.  These strategies include:

• Plenty of sleep
• Keeping yourself hydrated
• Consuming warm liquids
• Gargling with salt water
• Using a humidifier to get rid of dry air
• Talking to tonsillitis doctors in Chennai

In case tonsillitis is caused by a bacterial infection, your healthcare specialist might prescribe a course of antibiotics. For the symptoms to go away completely, you have to take the prescribed tonsillitis antibiotics.
Another tonsillitis treatment in MRC Nagar is surgery. Surgery is used for removing chronic tonsillitis that doesn’t respond to antibiotic treatment. A tonsillectomy is also performed in case tonsillitis results in hard-to-manage complications, such as;

• Breathing difficulty
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• An abscess that does not improve with antibiotic treatment
• Difficulty swallowing, particularly chunky food, like meat

What are the complications?

People experiencing chronic tonsillitis might experience obstructive sleep apnea, as mentioned earlier. This can happen when the airways swell and keep a person from sleeping well. Another possible complication is the infection worsening and spreading to other parts of the body and this condition is called tonsillar cellulitis. This might cause you to develop pus behind the tonsils, known as a peritonsillar abscess.

onclusion

Tonsillitis, when left untreated, might result in the infection spreading to the area behind the tonsils. It can also affect the surrounding tissue. When tonsillitis is caused by bacteria, symptoms improve after taking antibiotics for a few days. Remember, strep throat is considered contagious.

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6134941/

https://www.medicinenet.com/adenoids_and_tonsils/article.htm

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156497