Tonsillitis – inflammation of the palatine tonsils (in conversation – tonsils). Tonsillitis can be acute and chronic with periodic exacerbations. The disease is caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi. According to the Russian Ministry of Health, we all suffer from chronic tonsillitis without exception!
Our body is designed in such a way that it has protective resources everywhere that do not allow unfriendly forces from the outside to disturb its vital activity. Tonsils, which are popularly called tonsils, are also designed to protect us from infection. This is a kind of first line of defense that keeps viruses out through the nose and mouth. Moreover, it is part of the general protective mechanism of the body, which forms immunity. But with tonsillitis, the pharyngeal tonsils themselves become a focus of inflammation.
The inflammatory process is gaining strength so much that the tonsils increase and completely close the lumen of the pharynx. Microbes also make their way through the lymphatic tract, which leads to an increase in the cervical lymph nodes. With a closer study of this disease, you can find many more things so terrible that, by nature, are inherent only to him. The list of diseases that are associated with tonsillitis is quite large: from rheumatism to systemic lupus erythematosus.
Symptoms of tonsillitis
- sore throat, aggravated by swallowing, salivation. In advanced cases, a person from pain cannot open his mouth wide;
- weakness, fatigue, headache, loss of appetite, bad breath;
- an increase in temperature can reach 39-40 degrees, or it can be subfebrile or not rise at all (with chronic tonsillitis);
- submandibular and cervical lymph nodes may increase: when feeling the area under the lower jaw and neck, painful mobile rounded formations under the skin can be found;
- often tonsillitis is superimposed on acute respiratory infections, so the condition worsens with a runny nose, cough and other signs of a cold;
- when examining the throat, one can see an increase and redness of the palatine tonsils, white-yellow raids on them.
Complications of tonsillitis
Chronic tonsillitis is a constant, “dormant” source of infection in the body. Under certain factors (stress, hypothermia, exacerbations of chronic diseases, pregnancy, etc.), this infection can become a source of various inflammatory processes in the body:
- dental caries
- chronic runny nose (rhinitis), sinusitis
- otitis
- tracheitis, bronchitis
One of the most common complications of tonsillitis is a peritonsillar abscess that requires immediate surgical treatment. Often it occurs with improper self-treatment of angina.
Dangerous complications of tonsillitis are glomerulonephritis (kidney damage), heart rheumatism (with the development of defects), various diseases of the joints.
Treatment of tonsillitis
You can afford self-medication only in the first 1-2 days. First of all, it is necessary to wash the lacunae of the palatine tonsils, that is, slit channels of various calibers, with disinfectant solutions: furatsilina, boric acid and chlorhexine. You can also lubricate the tonsils with special solutions, one of the most famous is Lugol’s solution. But today, special sprayers are increasingly being used, which operate on the principle of “three in one”: a medicine supplied under pressure treats inflammation, cleanses the tonsils and makes a kind of hydromassage.
Folk remedies are also well known – for example, garlic rinses. You need two large cloves of garlic, finely crushed, pour a glass of warm milk, strain and then gargle. Pretty nasty, but effective. More pleasant are absorbable mixtures that reduce scars and change the structure of inflamed tonsils. Take finely grated carrots, combine with thick honey, a few drops of alcohol tincture of propolis and ascorbic acid. All this is taken in small portions in the mouth, pressed against the sky and slowly absorbed.
Rinsing should be done every 2-3 hours.
**If by the 2nd day of illness, as a result of rinsing, resorption of various lozenges and lozenges, the condition does not improve, be sure to consult a doctor!** An increase in body temperature above 38 degrees is also a reason to see a doctor, even if it happened on the first day of the illness and you have not had time to “eat all the dogs” in rinsing and conspiracies of a sore throat. Further self-medication can lead to the development of alarming complications.
Drug treatment of tonsillitis is aimed at fighting the infection, for this antibiotics are prescribed, often in injections. Be sure to follow the scheme and duration of taking the prescribed drugs, even if the pain has passed, and the “shots remained.” Premature cancellation of treatment can lead to the resumption of the process, and now the microbes will no longer be sensitive to the antibiotic prescribed for you.
In the recovery stage, various physiotherapy procedures are used: UHF, UFO, etc.
If conservative treatment fails, resort to surgical treatment of tonsillitis.
