For availability, costs and complete details of coverage, contact a licensed agent or Cigna sales representative. This website is not intended for residents of New Mexico. Selecting these links will take you away from Cigna. Cigna may not control the content or links of non-Cigna websites. Overview Medicare Coverage Options. Broker Resources. Individuals and Families. Health and Wellness. Wellness Library. Condition Basics What is tonsillitis?
What causes it? What are the symptoms? How is it diagnosed? How is tonsillitis treated? Does your child need a tonsillectomy? Current as of: December 2, Tonsillitis usually improves on its own after around a week. You can ease your symptoms with self-help measures and over-the-counter medicines.
You may also notice you have swollen tonsils and swollen glands in your neck. Your tonsils may be covered with a white coating or white flecks of pus. Your symptoms may last for a week. You can often ease tonsillitis at home without needing to see your GP. Most people find things improve within a week without antibiotics.
Your GP will usually diagnose tonsillitis from your symptoms and how your throat and tonsils look. They may also use a tongue depressor a flat wooden stick to push your tongue down gently and get a better view of your tonsils. They may feel around your neck to see if you have swollen glands. The symptoms of tonsillitis are similar to those of glandular fever. Glandular fever is most likely to affect teenagers and young adults. It can cause a very bad sore throat, slightly raised temperature and swollen glands in your neck.
Glandular fever is also more likely to cause a white coating on your tonsils and tiredness may last longer. If your GP thinks you may have glandular fever, they may ask you to have a blood test. Tonsillitis usually improves on its own within a week without any antibiotics.
You can use self-help measures and over-the-counter medicines to ease your symptoms. Over-the-counter medicines can help if your throat is very sore or you have a temperature.
Always read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine. If you have any questions, ask your pharmacist for advice. If your symptoms are not improving after a week, or are getting worse, speak to your GP. Most people with tonsillitis find their symptoms improve after around a week, whether they take antibiotics or not. They may prescribe antibiotics if you:.
Your GP may give you a delayed prescription for an antibiotic. If you do need an antibiotic, your GP is most likely to prescribe a five- to day course of penicillin. If you are, the GP will give you another antibiotic instead. You should complete the full course, even if you start to feel better.
This helps to get rid of all the harmful bacteria and reduces the risk of resistance when antibiotics no longer work against the bacteria. If you have any questions about your medicine, speak to a pharmacist.
Your GP may refer you to an ear, nose and throat ENT surgeon if they feel having your tonsils removed will help. This operation is called a tonsillectomy. This will prevent you from getting tonsillitis in the future. This can be a complication of tonsillitis. For children, your GP may recommend waiting to see if the tonsillitis gets better on its own before considering surgery.
As children get older, they become less likely to have tonsillitis. A tonsillectomy is a very common operation and is usually very successful.
But, like all operations, it can cause complications. This is because the tonsils are just the visible part of a wider ring of tissue at the back of your throat.
Viral infections cause most cases of tonsillitis. Viral tonsillitis is usually due to a common cold virus, but it may also be caused by other viruses, including the flu virus. Around one in every three cases of tonsillitis is caused by bacteria. Most bacterial tonsillitis is caused by streptococcus bacteria — specifically group A beta-haemolytic Streptococcus bacteria. Streptococcal tonsillitis is most common in children aged five to Viral tonsillitis is more common in younger children.
Complications are also more common in young children and older people. Some people who get tonsillitis keep getting it again and again. This is called recurrent tonsillitis.
Importantly, strep requires treatment with an antibiotic , while such medication is futile if the infection is viral. Bacterial tonsillitis which is caused by strep throat most of the time can also bring on the following features, Clark adds:.
The majority of patients who have viral tonsillitis or who test negative for strep can expect a full recovery within five to seven days without specific treatment, Clark says, adding that there is no indication for taking antibiotics in this situation.
If the tonsillitis tests positive for strep throat a bacterial infection , then antibiotic treatment is usually recommended to reduce symptom severity and speed recovery, Clark explains. Without antibiotic therapy, strep throat symptoms will typically resolve on their own eventually, but the medication will help you feel better sooner and significantly reduces the risk of complications from the infection.
Once a person starts antibiotics for strep throat, they usually begin to feel better, often within 24 to 72 hours of starting the medicine, according to Clark.
Taking steroids to relieve the pain associated with an acute sore throat should be avoided, says Clark. Most of the time tonsillitis caused by either viral or bacterial infections will eventually resolve on its own, but if a bacterial infection is to blame, antibiotics help clear up symptoms faster and prevent complications, Rowan says.
By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Health Topics.
0コメント