HealthInfo Canterbury
Tonsillitis
Your tonsils are areas of lymph tissue at the back of your mouth that help you to fight infection. Tonsillitis is the medical name for when your tonsils are red and swollen, or inflamed.
Most tonsillitis is caused by viruses, and will get better with no treatment other than pain relief. However, some tonsillitis is caused by a bacteria called streptococcus (strep-toe-kok-us). This is known as strep throat, which your doctor can treat with antibiotics. In a few cases strep throat leads to a more serious illness called rheumatic fever.
You are at more risk of rheumatic fever if:
- you or someone in your family or household has had rheumatic fever before
- you or your child fit two or more of these descriptions:
- Māori or Pasifika ethnicity
- aged 3 to 35 years
- live in poor or crowded conditions.
Important
If you or your child are high risk for rheumatic fever, see a doctor or nurse to check any sore throat straight away – within one or two days. If your doctor prescribes antibiotics for your sore throat it's important to take them all, for the entire 10 days. This is to stop you from getting rheumatic fever.
Symptoms of tonsillitis
- Sore throat.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Swollen tonsils.
- A white or yellow coating on your tonsils.
- A high temperature.
- Swollen neck glands.
Causes of tonsillitis
Most tonsillitis is caused by:
- cold or flu viruses
- glandular fever (Epstein-Barr virus), in teenagers
- bacterial infection especially with streptococcus (strep throat).
Diagnosing tonsillitis
Usually your doctor will only need to hear your symptoms and look at your throat.
If you are at risk you may have a swab taken from your throat to check for strep throat.
If your doctor thinks you might have glandular fever they will take a blood test.
Treating tonsillitis
Most tonsillitis gets better after two or three days and goes away completely in seven to 10 days without any treatment. If you have strep throat you will need to take antibiotics for 10 days. It's important to finish them all to stop you getting rheumatic fever.
If you or your child get repeated bouts of tonsillitis that lead to a lot of time off work or school, you may need to have your tonsils removed in an operation called a tonsillectomy.
Self-care with tonsillitis
- Take pain relief such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Suck on ice cubes or lozenge
- Older children and adults can gargle warm salt water
- Avoid smoking or smoky places
- Get rest.
See your doctor if you or your child:
- have difficulty breathing
- can't swallow saliva, which may cause dribbling
- can't get enough fluids
- have severe pain
- have ongoing high fever
- aren't improving after two days
- have earache or joint pain.
On the next page: Tonsillectomy
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed May 2020.
SourcesReview key: HISTT-17240
