Chronic tonsillitis - an inflammation of the tonsils, whose symptoms persist for several weeks or months. This disease is especially common among children aged five to twelve years, and is slightly more common in boys than in girls.

Causes of chronic tonsillitis

The most common causative agents of chronic tonsillitis are bacteria of the genus Streptococcus. It can also be caused by pneumococci, staphylococci, herpes virus and several other viruses.

If acute tonsillitis at least once in their lives, many people are sick, the chronic tonsillitis develops only a small proportion of patients. This may contribute to factors such as poor diet (and as a consequence, the lack of certain vitamins and minerals), immunodeficiency, live or work in areas with high levels of air pollution, chronic stress How to beat stress? Create an oasis .

Symptoms of chronic tonsillitis

The main symptoms of chronic tonsillitis are the increase and inflammation of the tonsils. In addition, patients may experience the following symptoms of the disease:

• Sore throat - as a rule, it is not as strong as in acute tonsillitis, and may occasionally disappear and reappear;
• Redness of the surface of the tonsils;
• White or yellow coating on the tonsils;
• Painful blisters or small ulcer in the throat;
• Change voice. Most often, the voice becomes hoarse, but it can completely disappear for a while;
• Frequent headaches;
• Lack of appetite;
• Bad breath Breath (halitosis) - is sometimes useful to close the mouth .

In some patients with chronic tonsillitis may be slightly elevated body temperature - usually no more than up to 37.6 degrees Celsius.

During the examination the doctor can detect a variety of changes, such as adhesions Adhesions - how to get rid of them?   in tonsils formed scar tissue.

Chronic tonsillitis and pregnancy

Pregnancy itself causes a weakening of the immune system and, as a result, the probability that can occur exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis, increases. However, the possibility of aggravation - not a major cause for concern in this disease. The development of chronic tonsillitis, as a rule, says that in the body that something is wrong, and he can not cope with the disease, which usually goes away in a few days. For pregnant women it can be a particularly serious problem.

If chronic tonsillitis developed plans for pregnancy, it is strongly recommended to get tested and treated before its conception. If the pregnancy has already occurred, it should also consult a doctor to try to determine the cause of the disease and to take action to ensure that it did not affect the development of the child. In particular, women are advised to start eating right, taking prenatal vitamins, to move a lot, and get enough sleep.

The doctor may recommend the patient to use an antiseptic spray for the throat and drink herbal teas medicinal herbs that are safe for pregnant women. Antibiotics for the treatment of chronic tonsillitis in pregnant women appointed rather rare - only in cases where the disease can not be overcome by other means.

Treatment of chronic tonsillitis

If the causative agent of chronic tonsillitis is a virus, your doctor may recommend the patient regularly gargle antiseptic and / or salt water, take vitamins to strengthen the immune system Strengthening the immune system - help the immune system   and, if necessary, use OTC drugs for relief of symptoms. In addition, it is important to include in the diet as many fruits and vegetables, and ensure that the body receives all the necessary daily vitamins and minerals. Since the cause is often a chronic tonsillitis unhealthy lifestyle, these measures often enough that to defeat the disease. However, patients need to be patient - a noticeable relief may come just a few weeks after starting treatment.

In extreme cases, when conservative treatment does not help to get rid of chronic tonsillitis, your doctor may prescribe tonsillectomy - surgery to remove the tonsils.

The operation is performed under general anesthesia and is usually an outpatient basis, although sometimes patients have to stay in hospital for one night. Incisions after tonsillectomy sewn threads dissolved, so that the patient will not need to go to the doctor to remove the stitches. Typically, the operation lasts no more than an hour. For about two weeks after tonsillectomy patient may feel pain in the throat and ears.

The vast majority of patients are very well tolerated by tonsillectomy, complications are rare.

In some cases, the operation can lead to severe bleeding, breathing problems and allergic reaction to the anesthesia. It is also believed that the removal of the tonsils, which are an important part of the immune system, makes people somewhat more vulnerable to various infectious diseases.

Quinsy is now considered the most common of infections affecting the neck and head, and causing conditions that require urgent medical attention. According to approximate data, the disease occurs in one person in ten thousand.

Quinsy can develop in people of any age, but most often it ill people aged 20 to 40 years. In patients younger than 20 years old, sick quinsy, most often weakened immunity.

In recent years, the incidence of quinsy is slowly but steadily increasing; experts believe that this is due to the fact that an increasing number of strains of bacteria that are resistant to various antibiotics, which is why a bacterial sore throat is not always possible to cure before it flows into more severe forms.

Symptoms quinsy

Usually quinsy it appears a few days after the onset of the classic signs of a sore throat. Its symptoms are:

• Heat;
• Weakness;
• Headache;
• Sore throat, especially strong - on the part of the amygdala, where an abscess;
• Change the voice;
• Pain in one ear - the part of the affected tonsil;
• Bad breath Breath (halitosis) - is sometimes useful to close the mouth ;
• Swelling of the face and neck.

When should you see a doctor?

Consult a doctor if a sore throat and other symptoms of angina Symptoms of angina - obvious and recognizable   rapidly increase, or there are characteristic symptoms of quinsy, pain in the throat with one hand and pain in one ear. If you suspect a quinsy patient immediately sent for examination; to prevent the spread of infection, treatment should begin as soon as possible.

Reasons quinsy

Quinsy pathogens are bacteria, most often - streptococci (especially the kind Streptococcus pyogenes), and Haemophilus influenzae. Why some patients develop quinsy is still unknown, but most experts believe that the abscess Abscess - why it is so dangerous ulcers?   in the amygdala is formed as a result of very heavy and / or finished the cure sore throats.

Another theory links the development of quinsy with Weber's glands, located just above the palatine tonsils. One of the problems is the Weber glands excretion of various wastes such as dead tissue cells of the tonsils and surrounding areas. If these glands cease to function properly and perform their functions, channels that connect them to adjacent structures, are inflamed. This can lead to infection, which in severe cases causes abscess formation.

It is believed that the following factors increase the likelihood of quinsy in patients infected usual angina:

• Diabetes;
• Reduced immunity - for example, due to HIV / AIDS, or receiving immunosuppressive drugs.

Treatment of quinsy

Most patients with a diagnosis of "quinsy" must be treated with antibiotics to fight the infection quickly.

Typically antibiotics are administered intravenously - it allows as soon as possible to achieve the desired result of the treatment. Most often, when quinsy use the following antibiotics:

• Penicillin or penicillin V - one of the members of the group of penicillins;
• Clarithromycin - a drug that is assigned if the patient is allergic to penicillin;
• Amoxicillin;
• Clindamycin;
• Erythromycin.

In some cases, there may be used, and other antibiotics. The choice of drug depends on what kind of bacteria caused the infection and the general state of health of the patient - for example, some antibiotics should not be taken in certain diseases of the liver and kidneys.

Since many antibiotics reduce the effectiveness of combined oral contraceptives during treatment is recommended to use additional means of contraception.

In severe swelling in the throat can also be used corticosteroids.

As a rule, one antibiotic therapy is not enough to cope with quinsy, and we have to use the procedure to drain the abscess, but sometimes also for removing the affected tonsil. In the treatment of quinsy with about the same efficiency, the following procedures and operations:

Fine-needle aspiration. The main advantages of this procedure are: minimally invasive, relatively low cost and relatively low level of discomfort for the patient after aspiration.

Needle aspiration is performed under local anesthesia with lidocaine and epinephrine. The doctor inserts a thin hollow needle attached to a syringe into the abscess and remove the pus formed inside it.

Incision and drainage of an abscess. This procedure is also performed under local anesthesia. Using a scalpel doctor makes an incision length of about 0.5 cm and a depth of not more than one centimeter, then through the hollow tube displays pus from an abscess. As needle aspiration, and the procedure is incision and drainage of an abscess usually take no more than half an hour.

Tonsillectomy. Currently there are no data indicating that the tonsillectomy helps prevent the development of quinsy patient in the future, however, such an operation can be assigned if the patient has previously repeatedly suffered angina of this type, or does it have any other evidence to the tonsillectomy, for example, sleep apnea Dreams: how to understand our dreams .

Complications quinsy

In the absence of adequate treatment of quinsy can lead to the following complications:

• Mediastinitis;
• Meningitis;
• Sepsis;
• Cerebral abscess;
• Thrombosis of the jugular vein.

Forecast

Approximately 94% of cases can be successfully treated quinsy, and does not cause complications. On average, 10% of patients who have had the disease, relapse occurs; According to available data, the probability of relapse is independent of which method was used for the treatment of quinsy.