tonsillitis
Sign in to saveTonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils in the upper part of the throat. It can be acute or chronic. Acute tonsillitis typically has a rapid onset. Symptoms may include sore throat, fever, enlargement of the tonsils, trouble swallowing, and enlarged lymph nodes around the neck. Complications include peritonsillar abscess (quinsy).
AI overview
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils in your upper throat that can develop suddenly (acute) or persist over time (chronic), causing symptoms like sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing, and swollen tonsils and neck lymph nodes. It matters because if left untreated, it can lead to serious complications such as a peritonsillar abscess, a collection of pus near the tonsils.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Medical condition (new).name
- Tonsillitis
- Medical condition (new).image
- Pos strep.JPG
- Medical condition (new).caption
- Exudative tonsillitis in infectious mononucleosis
- Medical condition (new).alt
- A set of large tonsils in the back of the throat covered in yellow exudate
- Medical condition (new).field
- Infectious disease
- Medical condition (new).symptoms
- Sore throat, fever, enlargement of the tonsils, trouble swallowing, large lymph nodes around the neck
- Medical condition (new).complications
- Peritonsillar abscess
- Medical condition (new).duration
- ~ 1 week
- Medical condition (new).causes
- Viral infection, bacterial infection
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- Based on symptoms, throat swab, rapid strep test
- Medical condition (new).medication
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Causes
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Antibiotics
- Pain medication
- Corticosteroids
- Surgery
- Prognosis
- Epidemiology
- Society and culture
- References
- Books cited
- External links
Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils in the upper part of the throat. It can be acute or chronic. Acute tonsillitis typically has a rapid onset. Symptoms may include sore throat, fever, enlargement of the tonsils, trouble swallowing, and enlarged lymph nodes around the neck. Complications include peritonsillar abscess (quinsy).
Tonsillitis is most commonly caused by a viral infection, and about 5% to 40% of cases are caused by a bacterial infection. When caused by the bacterium group A streptococcus, it is classed as streptococcal tonsillitis also referred to as strep throat. Rarely, bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, or Haemophilus influenzae may be the cause. Typically, the infection is spread between people through the air. A scoring system, such as the Centor score, may help separate possible causes. Confirmation may be by a throat swab or rapid strep test.