Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis

Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis General Information

When an individual is said to be suffering from Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis he or she actually has a sore throat. Tonsillitis is a common clinical illness that affects the patient’s tonsils (these are a set of fleshy pads that can be located on each side of the throat, in the back). This disorder can be caused either by a bacterium or by a virus. This is one of the most frequent child ailments. If the patient’s tonsils are affected by this medical disorder, they become painful and swollen.

In most clinical cases that involved patients who had been diagnosed with Tonsillitis, their disorder had a viral cause. Such individuals receive a home therapy with non prescription medical products for sore throat. Cases in which the disorder has a bacterial cause are rarer. However, in such circumstances the individual has to start the intake of antibiotic remedies. If the patient presents a recurrent form of this medical disorder, he or she should consider removing his or her tonsils (through a clinical procedure known as tonsillectomy). However, this therapy option is only applied when the patient’s clinical condition does not improve with other treatments.

Pharyngitis is a medical disorder not very different from Tonsillitis. Most specialists define it as an infectious condition that affects the patient’s tonsils and / or his or her pharynx. Most cases of Pharyngitis (about 50% of them) are known to present a viral cause. Another great part of them are of a bacterial origin. Other potential causes of this medical disorder may include neoplasia, toxins, trauma, allergy, and so on. You should ask your doctor for more information regarding Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis.

Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis Symptoms

If a patient has been diagnosed with the presence of this medical disorder (Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis), he or she presents the common signs of sore throat. Although Pharyngitis and Tonsillitis are very similar medical disorders, in some cases they trigger different symptoms (clinical manifestations). In this chapter we intend to present you the most common symptoms and / or signs that are widely associated with both of these medical disorders, as a patient who is suffering from Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis is prone to developing any of them (including combinations of symptoms). Among the most well known symptoms that are common for both of these medical disorders are: fever, headaches, difficulty speaking, problems swallowing, the presence of tender, swollen and / or enlarged lymph nodes (especially in the neck or in the jaw), red throat, swollen tonsils, and so on.

Children who are suffering from this medical disorder (widely known as Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis) may present abdominal pain, which can range from mild to severe. Other clinical manifestations that can be linked to the presence of Pharyngitis include earache, while patients who have Tonsillitis may complain of chills, laryngitis (loss of voice), and so on. The list of symptoms that we have presented you may not be complete. For this reason, it is very important for all patients to seek further professional medical assistance if they present any bothersome, unusual clinical manifestations. A proper diagnosis of your clinical illness can only be set by your personal health care provider.

Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis Treatment

If the patient’s Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis has a viral origin, the individual has to receive immediate home therapy with over the counter medical products that are generally employed in the fight against sore throats. However, in the case of bacterial cases of this medical disorder, a more violent therapy is needed. Most patients in such conditions start the intake of powerful antibiotics. The most common medicine that is widely employed in the therapy of such individuals is Penicillin, in its oral form. The average therapy span with this medicine should not be less than 10 days. Therapies with other antibiotic medical products may last for shorter periods of time. A very important thing that all patients have to be well aware of is that they are not allowed to stop their intake of their prescribed antibiotic remedy without the consent of their personal health care provider even their clinical condition has improved. Even if your symptoms have disappeared, your infection has not been completely eliminated from your system. In other words, your infectious Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis will probably reoccur as soon as you stop using your medication. Several complications may also arise, as the bacterium that caused your disorder may have become resistant to the antibiotic.

If your child presents a positive strep test, it is very important that he or she should complete at least a whole day (24 hours) of antibiotic therapy before they are allowed to safely return to child care and / or school. If your child presents severe difficulties swallowing, the antibiotic injections ought to be applied. Some patients with Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis have also received therapy with steroid medical products (that are known to possibly reduce the unpleasant swelling). Although removal of the tonsils used to be the standard treatment for such clinical cases, this medical procedure (widely known as tonsillectomy) is not employed nowadays unless other therapy options have proven ineffective.

Patients with Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis may deal with some of their symptoms (such as fever, sore throat, pain, and so on) with Aspirin or other pain relievers. Temporary relief may be easily provided if the patient starts gargling with salty, warm water. The use of antiseptic sprays and / or lozenges can also prove quite helpful. As cases of Tonsillitis / Pharyngitis that are known to present a viral cause (origin) generally clears up on their own, without any professional medical assistance, the use of antibiotic medical products is useless. Ceasing the intake of alcoholic beverages and that of smoking should be adopted, in order to reduce throat irritation. If the patient is suffering from a persistent form of this medical disorder that is due to continuous exposure to industrial chemicals, air pollution, toxic fumes, and so on, the most effective therapy is eliminating any exposure to similar noxious substances. For further information regarding the most effective therapy options against this medical disorder, we advise you to seek the professional help of your physician (PD).