Chronic most commonly affects children, but it can also occur in adults. While the symptoms of chronic tonsilitis can vary from one person to another, most people experience ongoing sore throats, enlarged tonsils, bad breath, and/or tender neck lymph nodes. Unlike acute tonsilitis, which typically lasts anywhere from three days to around two weeks, chronic tonsilitis can go on for a lot longer.
If you or your child suffers from chronic tonsillitis, then it can be a good idea to find out more about the latest treatments available.
What is the difference between chronic tonsillitis and recurrent tonsillitis?
Many people get confused about the difference between chronic tonsilitis and recurrent tonsilitis. In fact, these are often thought to be the same thing. However, there are a few differences between these two types of tonsilitis.
Chronic tonsilitis is a type of tonsilitis that doesn’t go away after a few weeks. Instead, it lingers on and doesn’t respond to the usual treatments. Recurrent tonsilitis, on the other hand, refers to tonsilitis that keeps coming back. Someone who suffers from recurrent tonsilitis will have this illness more than three times a year. They may respond to standard treatments and get better for a few months, only for the infection to return.
What are the best treatments for chronic tonsilitis?
The best treatment for chronic tonsilitis depends on a number of different factors. For example, if your tonsilitis is the result of a bacterial infection, then your doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotics. However, in some cases of chronic tonsillitis, people can become resistant to antibiotics, and in these cases, another type of medication may be required. If you’re prescribed antibiotics for tonsilitis, you must make sure that you complete the entire course, or you risk the infection coming back.
To treat any pain caused by chronic tonsilitis, you can take painkillers such as Tylenol or suck on throat lozenges and use numbing throat sprays. These can all be bought at your local chemist without the need for a prescription.
Do I need a tonsillectomy?
If you or your child has had more than five bouts of tonsilitis in a year or you have chronic tonsilitis that isn’t responding to medication, your doctor may recommend a tonsillectomy. This is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of the tonsils.
If having tonsilitis is affecting your ability to work or go to school, then a tonsillectomy might be the right choice for you, as this procedure significantly reduces the number of sore throats that you’ll experience each year.
If you think that a tonsillectomy is the best tonsilitis treatment for you or someone in your family, then you should contact an ENT specialist doctor.
What happens if chronic tonsilitis is left untreated?
If chronic tonsilitis is left untreated, it can cause other serious health conditions such as sleep apnea, a peritonsillar abscess, or an infection of the middle ear. In rare cases, people who have a bacterial form of tonsilitis may develop scarlet fever or rheumatic fever.
