Tonsillitis is an often painful medical condition in which a person's tonsils become inflamed as a result of a bacterial or viral infection. It often begins as a common cold or throat infection. Tonsillitis treatment is quite simple, but it is important to recognize the signs of tonsillitis in order to seek proper medical care. The most common signs of tonsillitis include the symptoms of a common cold, as well as additional indicators like ear pain, fever, and most importantly, swollen tonsils. Due to the fact that tonsillitis often affects young children, it is important for parents to become familiar with the condition, although this can be difficult as tonsillitis may initially seem like a harmless cold.
Most people are familiar with the symptoms of a common cold: runny nose, sneezing, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, and fatigue. When an individual has tonsillitis, they may initially experience several of these symptoms and dismiss the condition as a common cold which usually clears up within a week. An early indication that an individual may be developing tonsillitis is that cold symptoms seem abnormally severe. For example, with a common cold, an individual may complain of a sore throat that has developed due to postnasal drip resulting from nasal congestion. A person with tonsillitis is likely to experience a much more severe sore throat due to the onset of the infection.
In addition to experiencing intensified symptoms of a common cold, people with tonsillitis often experience high fevers, indicating the presence of infection. Other signs of throat infection include bad breath and difficulty swallowing. One of the other early signs of tonsillitis is swollen glands, which surround the throat and often cause an earache, stiff neck, and headache.
Perhaps the best way to check for signs of tonsillitis, although somewhat intrusive, is to look at the person's tonsils with a flashlight. Convincing young children to open their mouths and move their tongues long enough to see their throats and tonsils can be difficult. Common visual signs of tonsillitis include red and swollen tonsils, yellow or white spots on the tonsils, or gray discoloration of the tissue in or around the tonsils. In some cases, the infection can reach a point where the individual has thick mucus or blood on the tonsils.
Tonsillitis is a difficult condition to recognize, particularly in the early stages of infection. This is often true when the affected individual is a young child who cannot describe the symptoms that he is experiencing. Caregivers should pay special attention when symptoms of a common cold intensify, fever develops, and visual cues appear in the throat and tonsils. Watching for these signs of tonsillitis and seeking medical attention early can prevent the condition from becoming a medical emergency.