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Tonsillitis
- Topic Overview
-
Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
The main symptom of tonsillitis is a sore throat. More symptoms occur in most cases. Some or all of the following may be present:
- Fever
- Bad breath
- Nasal congestion and runny nose
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Red, swollen tonsils covered completely or in patches by pus
- Difficulty swallowing
- Headache
- Abdominal (belly) pain
- Raw, bleeding patches on the tonsils
When you have sore throat plus cold symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and coughing, the cause is most likely a virus. Viral infection of the tonsils usually goes away without treatment within 2 weeks.
Sore throat with a sudden fever above 101°F (38.3°C)—milder fever may point to a viral infection—and swollen lymph nodes, and without symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection, may point to a bacterial infection. Anyone with these symptoms should see a doctor for diagnosis because of the risk of strep throat. Although strep throat will usually go away even without treatment, an untreated strep infection can lead to complications including rheumatic fever, which can permanently damage the heart.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: December 8, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Charles M. Myer, III, MD - Otolaryngology | |
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