Tonsillitis: Symptoms, Causes, And Treatments

Types Of Tonsillitis

There are two main types of tonsillitis. Recurrent tonsillitis occurs when the infection strikes multiple times a year. Symptoms of recurrent tonsillitis are not usually severe and can be easily treated. Chronic Tonsillitis is characterized by infections lasting longer than two weeks. A person with chronic tonsillitis is infected more than a few times each year. They may also experience a persistent sore throat, tender lymph nodes in the neck, and halitosis, or bad breath.

When To Seek Treatment

Many cases of tonsillitis go away on their own within ten days. Seek treatment if the tonsils become so swollen they impair breathing or swallowing. It is also a good idea to seek treatment if a fever higher than one hundred degrees Fahrenheit develops, if muscle weakness or neck stiffness is present, or if a sore throat that does not go away within two days develops. Tonsillitis is diagnosed by swabbing the back of the throat and sending the culture to a laboratory to detect the type of infection.