Most cases of viral tonsillitis clear up in a few days with fluids and plenty of rest. Antibiotics usually eliminate bacterial tonsillitis (strep throat) in about 10 days. Tonsillitis usually doesn't cause any serious or lasting health problems.
Contact your GP or, if your GP's closed, phone 111 if: symptoms last longer than four days and don't show any signs of improvement. symptoms are severe – for example, if you're unable to eat or drink due to the pain, or you have difficulty breathing.
How long tonsillitis lasts. Symptoms will usually go away after 3 to 4 days. Tonsillitis is not contagious, but most of the infections that cause it are, for example, colds and flu.
If tonsillitis is left untreated, a complication can develop called a peritonsillar abscess. This is an area around the tonsils that's filled with bacteria, and it can cause these symptoms: Severe throat pain. Muffled voice.
If tonsillitis caused by group A streptococcus or another strain of streptococcal bacteria isn't treated or if antibiotic treatment is incomplete, your child has an increased risk of rare disorders such as: Rheumatic fever, a serious inflammatory condition that can affect the heart, joints, nervous system and skin.
Tonsillitis usually improves on its own after around a week. It's most often caused by a virus, so antibiotics won't help. Even if it's a bacterial infection, it will often settle without antibiotics. You can ease your symptoms with self-help measures and over-the-counter medicines.
Tonsillitis isn't contagious but the infections that cause it are (for example, colds and flu). To stop these infections from spreading: stay off work or keep your child at home until you or your child feel better.
Tonsillitis is considered serious enough to see a healthcare provider when it persists longer than four days, or when you develop white spots on your tonsils.
Visible swelling in the throat. Viral sore throats will often be red and swollen at the back of the mouth, but there shouldn't be red and white specks like there would be with a bacterial infection.
Tonsillitis caused by a viral infection is generally contagious for between 7 to 10 days, whereas bacterial tonsillitis may be contagious for up to two weeks. In some cases infected individuals are chronic carriers and can be mildly contagious for extended periods of time.
This may develop if the tonsillitis is caused by bacteria, and can get better again without treatment. But there is a risk of the infection spreading to nearby tissue in the throat and chest area or of septicemia (blood poisoning) developing.
If the sore throat gets worse, especially on one side, call your doctor. This could be a sign of a peritonsillar abscess. This happens when bacteria spread from the tonsil to the space around it and fill it with pus. Other signs of an abscess include fever, headache, earache, drooling, or a muffled voice.
Glandular fever (also knowns as infectious mononucleosisis, or “mono”) is an infection caused by the Epstein Barr virus, a kind of herpes. It usually causes an illness much like tonsillitis, although the symptoms may be more severe and last for a longer period of time.
You can feel very poorly if you have tonsillitis.
Your tonsils may get bigger and you may see white pus on them. Sometimes tonsillitis can become a more serious infection where you will need to be treated in hospital. This is called a peritonsillar abscess (quinsy).
Strep throat, which is an infection due to streptococcus bacteria, is another cause of sore throats and tonsillitis. With strep throat, the sore throat is often more severe and persists. Tonsillitis is a painful inflammation or infection of the tonsils, the tissue masses located at the back of the throat.
But see your doctor if your child has a sore throat and a fever, or if you or your child have: a sore throat that does not improve in a few days. difficulty breathing or swallowing. a persistent fever.
Viral tonsillitis: Viruses like colds and flus (influenza) cause up to 70% of tonsillitis cases. Bacterial tonsillitis (strep throat): Bacteria, such as Group A Streptococcus, cause other cases of tonsillitis. Bacterial tonsillitis is commonly called strep throat. People without tonsils can still get strep throat.
Tonsils are graded on a scale from 0 to 4. Zero means you've had them removed, 1 means they're barely visible, 2 means they're normal, 3 means they're large and just about touching that thing that hangs down at the back of your throat called the uvula, and 4 means they're ginormous.
Quinsy, also known as a peritonsillar abscess, is a rare and potentially serious complication of tonsillitis. You should see your GP if you or your child have symptoms of quinsy.
Antibiotics. If tonsillitis is caused by a bacterial infection, your doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotics. Penicillin taken by mouth for 10 days is the most common antibiotic treatment prescribed for tonsillitis caused by group A streptococcus.
Most acute infections of the tonsils are due to viruses or bacteria and usually is contagious by direct person-to-person contact. Tonsillitis caused by a virus infection usually is contagious for about seven to 10 days. Bacterial tonsillitis can remain contagious for about two weeks.
Speak with a boss or supervisor on the phone—don't send an email or a text—as early in the day as possible. Make sure to apologize for the inconvenience. Keep the call short and to the point; your manager doesn't need to know all the gory details.