The tonsils are two masses of tissue located at the back of your throat. They act as part of the body’s immune system, helping to filter out germs that enter through the mouth or nose and preventing infections. They also produce white blood cells designed to fight off bacteria and viruses.
Understanding Common Tonsil Issues
One frequent issue is recurrent or chronic tonsillitis, involving repeated infections and inflammation. These infections, caused by viruses or bacteria, can make tonsils red, swollen, and sometimes covered with white or yellow patches. Another common concern is significant enlargement, known as hypertrophy. This enlargement can reduce the airway size, leading to difficulties with breathing or swallowing. Tonsil stones, or tonsilloliths, can also develop when debris like food particles and dead cells become trapped in the tonsil crypts, small pockets on the tonsil surface.
Recognizing Key Symptoms
Frequent sore throats are a common symptom, often accompanied by pain or difficulty swallowing. Fevers can also occur, indicating an active infection, and neck lymph nodes may become swollen and tender. Enlarged tonsils can lead to noisy breathing during sleep or even obstructive sleep apnea, a condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts. Bad breath, or halitosis, is linked to the presence of tonsil stones, which can harbor bacteria and produce an unpleasant odor.
When to Seek Medical Advice
Consult a healthcare professional about tonsil issues based on the frequency, severity, and impact of your symptoms. Medical guidelines suggest evaluation for recurrent infections, such as seven or more documented episodes of bacterial tonsillitis in a single year. Other indicators include five or more episodes per year over two consecutive years, or three or more episodes annually for three consecutive years.
Seek medical attention if symptoms significantly disrupt daily life, causing missed school or work, or leading to sleep disturbances due to breathing difficulties. Persistent symptoms that do not improve with conservative treatments, like antibiotics for bacterial infections, also warrant a medical consultation. Urgent care is recommended for extreme difficulty swallowing or breathing, persistent drooling, or a high fever above 103°F (39.4°C).
How Doctors Evaluate and Decide
When consulting a doctor about tonsil concerns, evaluation begins with a physical examination of the throat to observe tonsil size and appearance. The doctor will also review your medical history, focusing on symptom frequency, severity, and daily impact. Sometimes, a throat swab may be taken to test for bacterial infections, such as Group A Streptococcus. Blood tests may also be considered to rule out other conditions like mononucleosis. The decision for tonsil removal, known as a tonsillectomy, is made after a thorough assessment of these factors and after other treatment options have proven ineffective, positioning surgery as a last resort.