How is chronic tonsillitis treated?

Written by Li Mao Cai
Otolaryngology
Updated on September 27, 2024
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The treatment of chronic tonsillitis mainly involves two aspects. The first is conservative treatment, which means paying attention to regular physical exercise to enhance the body's resistance, avoiding environments with smoke and alcohol, and avoiding spicy and irritating food. The purpose of this approach is to prevent acute attacks of chronic tonsillitis. The other method is surgical treatment. Surgical treatment requires adherence to certain criteria for chronic tonsillitis surgery, commonly including repeated occurrences of more than four times a year, the formation of peritonsillar abscesses, and cases affecting breathing, phonation, or swallowing functions. Additionally, surgery is needed when chronic inflammation of the tonsils leads to conditions such as inflammatory granulomas or hyperplasia.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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How long to receive IV therapy for acute tonsillitis?

Acute tonsillitis is an acute infectious inflammation of the tonsils, primarily caused by bacterial infection. Therefore, intravenous therapy is required for acute tonsillitis, which indicates that the symptoms of the tonsillitis are severe, often being suppurative tonsillitis. The duration of intravenous treatment generally lasts about three to five days, but it specifically depends on the patient's condition, and can even last longer. After the infection is controlled and symptoms are alleviated, treatment can switch to oral medications for anti-infection. Overall, there is no specific time rule for how long the infusion should last; it is often determined based on the specific condition of the patient.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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Etiology of chronic tonsillitis

Chronic tonsillitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the tonsils, which can arise from two sources. One is due to the repeated occurrences of acute inflammation of the tonsils, incomplete healing, poor physical constitution of the patient, or strong infectiousness of bacteria, resulting in unresolved, lingering chronic inflammation. In this case, the tonsils undergo recurrent acute flares on the basis of chronic inflammation, leading to the chronicity of the inflammation that cannot be cured. Another possible scenario for the onset of this tonsillitis is that it begins as a chronic inflammation. This is mainly due to a bacterial infection that is either not severe or a chronic latent infection. Therefore, the inflammation of the tonsils does not show obvious acute inflammatory signs but exhibits signs typical of chronic inflammation, primarily due to these two reasons.

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Written by Li Mao Cai
Otolaryngology
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Chronic Tonsillitis Dietary Precautions

In terms of diet, there are several points to note for chronic tonsillitis: First, it is very important to drink plenty of water, which is vital for the maintenance of chronic tonsillitis. As for food, it is necessary to avoid spicy and stimulating foods and primarily adopt a light diet, eating plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits to supplement vitamins in the body, which is also very important for the prevention and care of chronic tonsillitis. Additionally, try to avoid environments with smoking and alcohol; specifically, do not smoke or drink alcohol, and avoid inhaling second-hand smoke. Pay attention to oral hygiene and rinse your mouth promptly after eating.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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Symptoms of acute tonsillitis

Acute tonsillitis is an acute infectious disease of the tonsils, primarily caused by bacterial infection. Clinically, it mainly manifests as pain in the throat area, and sometimes the pain is very severe, even radiating to the base of the ears and down to the jaw. Additionally, there might be systemic symptoms such as loss of appetite, overall lethargy, weakness in the limbs, fever, night sweats, and chills. Generally, the presence of systemic symptoms indicates a severe infection of tonsillitis, requiring treatment through intravenous fluids. Clinical examinations can reveal enlarged tonsils, congested surfaces, and the presence of pin-point-like gray or white purulent secretions.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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How to treat acute tonsillitis?

Acute tonsillitis is mainly caused by an acute bacterial infection, with the most common symptoms being sudden throat pain, and significant redness and congestion of the tonsils, which may also include pus formation if severe. In terms of treatment, oral medication is primarily preferred, generally focusing on antibiotics, and may include nebulization as well as traditional Chinese oral medications. If inflammation is particularly severe and oral medications are ineffective, infusion therapy may be considered. Some patients may also experience fever, thus requiring physical cooling methods, and if the temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees Celsius, antipyretic medications should be considered, along with regular blood tests.