Chronic tonsillitis: symptoms and treatment

Symptoms of chronic tonsillitis, or prolonged, unceasing inflammation of pharyngeal and palatine tonsils, are quite unpleasant. In addition to pain, tingling, dryness and sensation of a foreign body in the throat, patients often complain of fatigue and lethargy, headache and smell from the mouth. Subfebrile body temperature can also be observed: its presence indicates a chronic inflammatory process, which is chronic tonsillitis. Symptoms can be more serious: for example, a significant increase in temperature, cervical lymphadenitis, changes in joints and heart indicate that the disease has taken a more serious, toxic-allergic form.

The tissue of the tonsils with this disease is seriously changed: chronic tonsillitis, the symptoms of which can be seen on examination, causes ulceration of their mucous membrane. The tonsils are hyperemic, covered with ulcers and thickened, the edges of the palatine arch are thickened.

Chronic tonsillitis, the causes of which have been fairly well studied, in some cases is a consequence of inflammation of the pharynx caused by an infectious disease - for example, with scarlet fever. Its development is also promoted by frequent angina, purulent sinusitis, in time not treated caries. Chronic tonsillitis in children can develop because of the proliferation of adenoids that obstruct nasal breathing - while the child is constantly breathing through the mouth, thereby opening the infection.

The presence in the body of a chronic inflammatory process has a very negative effect on the human condition. Even chronic tonsillitis, the symptoms of which are quite weak, can subsequently cause serious illnesses: first of all, jade, rheumatism, polyarthritis, as well as connective tissue diseases - scleroderma, lupus erythematosus and others. Proved its role in the development of skin diseases, unpleasant enough - eczema, psoriasis. In addition, the disease in the acute stage can provoke acute otitis media, pneumonia, bronchitis. Finally, chronic tonsillitis, which lasts for many years, leads to depression of the body's immune system.

Treatment of this disease - conservative or operative. Non-surgical methods include measures to sanitize the tonsils: irrigation with special solutions, inhalation and rinsing, as well as taking fortifying drugs that increase immunity. These methods can be recommended if chronic tonsillitis, the symptoms of which in this case are slightly expressed, proceeds in mild form, and also in those cases when there are contraindications to the operation.

In a hospital environment, lavage is also used to apply antibiotic solutions with a syringe - while purulent contents are first sucked from them. Sometimes special medicinal pastes are placed in the lacunae. With the conservative treatment of chronic tonsillitis, physiotherapy is also successfully used: UHF, microwave therapy, and laser and ultrasound treatment.

Operative treatment of the disease can be recommended, first of all, in its toxic-allergic form, frequent angina, and also if conservative treatment does not bring the desired effect. Removal of tonsils is also shown in a situation when acute chronic tonsillitis leads to aggravation of concomitant diseases. It can be performed with general anesthesia or local anesthesia. Tonsillectomy usually takes no more than half an hour. After the operation, the pain in the throat is retained for several days, there is at this time only soft food, non-fast and non-hot. Complete healing of the wound surface occurs in 2-3 weeks. After that, you can forget about tonsillitis forever.