Talk:Tonsillitis/Archive 1

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Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 1 March 2019 and 10 May 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Karakirchner.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 04:21, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

Introduction

Lacking in some info. Mode of transmission, diagnosis, prevention and treatment?

Symptoms

citation for less common symptoms? Symptoms specific to bacterial vs. viral?Robere04 (talk) 23:55, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

What

What is the symptoms of chronic tonsillitis? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.79.6.44 (talk) 02:22, 29 August 2011 (UTC)

Alternatives to penicillin

My daughter is almost 69 and has had problems with breathing and her throat much of her life. The specialist says she seems too 'fit' to take out her adenoids and tonsils. She has suffered croup most of her childhood also. She now has a fever and is again suffering from a sore throat and odour coming from her throat. Can she recover from tonsillitis with out penecillin this time as i am sick of giving it to her as it makes her feel sick?

kind regards mum (sharon)

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.51.151.212 (talk • contribs) 23:25, 25 December 2006

Wikipedia, and indeed all internet sites, is not the location to seek specific medical advice. This should be sought from your own doctor who has access to her past medical history and is in a position to examine your daughter, thus allowing for an informed opinion. They should then discuss with you the reasons for their opinion and the range of management options (including whether, if an antibiotic is required, an alternative drug might give less side-effects than previously experienced). David Ruben ^Talk 03:06, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

I'd just like to say the above advice is very sound. Further, while she may not like the penicillin it's much better then giving her nothing, and nowhere near as painful as tonsillitis gets. This of course assumes she is not allergic to penicillin, and your doctor can advise you on this. She now has a fever and is again suffering from a sore throat and odour coming from her throat. Speaking personally, as I've had it 3 times in the past 3 years I have a look down my throat to confirm there's mucus on the tonsils, I would hope that any parent in this situation would do this. If there is mucus (refer to the image) then I would begin gargling saline water - but this will only act to slow the development of tonsillitis, it will not help cure it, and I would see my doctor ASAP. --61.69.25.217 07:20, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

And let me remind you that Wikipedia is not a forum —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.212.140.93 (talk) 15:17, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

add natural treatments?

Would be really informative to include some natural treatments. I'm new here so I don't feel very confident it just going ahead and editing stuff in. My suggestion would be: Natural treatment Many people successfully use natural remedies to help alleviate the symptoms of tonsillitis, e.g.: - frequent gargling with an astringent, antiseptic and soothing solution made up from e.g. honey, lemon juice and warm water (pre-boiled), salt water solution or antiseptic herbal solutions from e.g. White Oak bark, Garlic, Horsetail herb, Peppermint leaf, Echinacea angustifolia root

- taking dietary supplements that strengthen the immune system Alandriel 14:53, 26 January 2007 (UTC)Alandriel

There were two other images showing tonsillitis

One of those images was Image:Tonsilitisexample.JPG (still being used on palatine tonsil), which used to be in this article since late 2005. The image was removed on December 2006 by Pbeck and was replaced with Image:Tonsilitisexample.JPG (not being used on any articles), which was removed by the same user. The question is which image should be used on this article? Squirepants101 05:29, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

Both the above links point to the same image, but it's suffice to say that the current image Image:Tonsillitis.jpg is much clearer then the one in your post. --61.69.25.217 07:05, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

Hemorrhagic Tonsillitis

Under the Complications section, hemorrhagic tonsillitis is completely unmentioned. I'm not in any way skilled enough to write a concise blurb on the complication, but it would be a service to all if someone could. As a side note, it truly pains me that even medical information and encyclopedia sites such as MedLine Plus and HealthyOntario fail to mention this - albeit rare - complication.

For those who are curious, hemorrhagic tonsillitis is a complication of tonsillitis where one or more blood vessels near the surface of the tonsils rupture and begin to bleed down the trachea. It's quite painful and requires medical attention, as the ensuing blood clots can be dangerous (or so the doctors that treated me told me).

I googled the condition and found some helpful links for a Wikipedia writer intent on appending this article: Complications of Acute Tonsillitis (from the Baylor College of Medicine) Tonsillitis, Tonsillectomy, and Adenoidectomy (from the University of Texas Medical Branch) Mention of the condition starts after the "Microbiology" header.

As someone who has suffered from this in the past, I feel people need to know about this and its apparent severity. 74.99.28.67 04:13, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

More pictures?

Are there any other pictures of this. I see no other examples and so far the only picture is Swolen with white spots. Can I see some other examples? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 138.88.99.174 (talk • contribs) 17:50, January 30, 2007 (UTC).

Well no one's replied to you all year, because that's what it looks like. All additional pictures would show is the same thing over and over... like multiple images of "obesity". --61.69.25.217 07:03, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

So if you don't have the white patches you don't have the condition? I've been to three doctors with swollen tonsils and a chronic swollen, inflamed throat, which I still have and is making things unpleasant - I'm tired all the time. Two recommended a tonsillectomy and the third said it's not tonsillitis becuase there are no white patches, so I don't know what to do. --Totorotroll (talk) 14:59, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Chronic tonsillitis

"Chronic tonsillitis, which can last for long periods if treated..." - should this read 'if untreated'? --Calair 21:37, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

Tonsillitis myths

I haven't been able to find anything on the internet about this, but in the Philippines, many doctors tell children that tonsillitis is caused by eating too many sweets. What other myths are there in other parts of the world? --Edward Sandstig 18:39, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Request Clarification

RE: " It is still possible to get tonsilloliths after removal of the tonsils unless a complete tonsillectomy is performed."
How does 'removal of the tonsils' differ from 'complete tonsillectomy'?
not Thank you for the time. 64.58.131.2 22:57, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

White Patches

Does anyone know what causes those white patches to appear on the tonsils? It would be helpful to include that in the article. BeefRendang 07:34, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

Those "White Patches" are mucus on the tonsils. The article explains it thus:

Bacteria feeding on mucus which acumulates in pits (referred to as 'crypts') in the tonsils, produce whitish-yellow deposits known as a tonsilloliths. These "tonsil stones" emit a very pungent odor due to the presence of volatile sulphur compounds. (I'll leave the spelling errors here and fix them in the article...) --61.69.25.217 06:55, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

my experience with tonsilitis

I was always ill when i was a child.I then had my tonsils taken out and since then i'm ok.I can't remember when I was ill last time! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.66.171.217 (talk) 21:29, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

a few questions about tonsillitis

ok well first off i wana know is this contagious? secondly i went to the docktor she checked back of my throat with the little scope thing but i asumed i had strept throught cuz the symptoms are simmiler and the doctor didnt even check and i got prescribed ammoxisilin should the doctor have swabed me for a strept test? and why'd i get ammoxacilin if i shoulda got penicilin —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.35.100.75 (talk) 09:43, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Yes it is contagious, just as Glandular Fever "The Kissing Disease" is contagious. As for your second question, no - if your doctor had diagnosed you with tonsillitis then you did not have Strep Throat. And as for your last question, amoxicillin is more powerful and is itself penicillin based, you were prescribed it because your doctor determined that it would be the best course of action for you. If you feel this was a mistake; or that you would have preferred penicillin then you have every right to get a 2nd medical advice and/or to request a different form of medication. With that said, in my opinion Amoxicillin is the very best medication available for curing Tonsillitis. --61.69.3.95 (talk) 11:56, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

To say "if your doctor had diagnosed you with tonsillitis then you did not have Strep Throat" is pretty misleading. Pharyngitis (sore throat) and tonsillitis are symptoms, not diseases, both caused by underlying viral or bacterial infections. Considering the proximity of the pharynx and tonsils, it is unsuprisingly common that a single instance of Streptococcal infection may affect both. A patient with such an infection could be said to have "Acute Streptococcal Tonsillitis" and "Acute Streptococcal Pharyngitis"(Strep Throat). In either case, the treatment for a Strep infection is antibiotics, and once that is dealt with the tonsils/pharynx recover by themselves.86.16.115.126 (talk) 19:26, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

PS Amoxicillin should never be used to treat a sore throat, unless (and its a big "unless") there is bacteriological proof of a bacterial cause for the sore throat... for if the apparent tonsillitis is being caused by glandular fever, then there may be a specific rash reaction due to amoxicillin. Usually bacteriological proof is not available at the time (at least true here in uk where no access to fast in-office testing, and swabs results whilst taking 2-3 days to be processed often do not have a report back into doctor's hand for 5-7 days). Instead Pencillin is the usual antibiotic in UK (erythromycin in those with penicillin allergy), else a cephalosporin in more severe cases. Indeed the UK medical defense societies have stated they will not contest cases of rash from amoxicillin for a sore throat if shown the patient had glandular fever (in part due to the confusion caused - was it rash due to a bacterial sore throat ie scarlet fever, amoxicillin-glangular fever reaction, or a true rash from the amoxicillin itself (either the non-allergic "amoxicillin rash" or a true penicillin allery). As later testing may not give a clear confirmation on this, patients often out of concern for future safety need to be labelled as "penicillin allergy". Typically as a GP I would see patients treated inappropriately with amoxicillin by junior casualty staff with each 6-month rota start (and past poor consultant training), but I've not seen this in last couple years fortunately. David Ruben ^Talk 16:41, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

This is why I removed that information from the original article. You cannot offer a blanket medical opinion. A doctor who has seen their patient has a valid medical opinion as to whether or not they want to prescribe Amoxicillin - AND THEY ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO CONFIRM BACTERIOLOCIAL INFECTION first. And it doesn't mean they're being negligent - they know that a rash can develop if they're patient is suffering from glandular fever. To put it simply: If you are not a qualified medical practitioner who has personally examined a patient, do not offer medical advice for their condition. --61.69.2.152 (talk) 03:20, 21 February 2009 (UTC)

Symptoms : "Hot Potato voice"

In 'symptoms' it lists:

...headache, fever and chills, and change in voice causing a "hot potato" voice.

My question is, what precisely is a "hot potato" voice? Also, is there a wikipedia link that would explain this? I've tried looking at the wikipedia disambiguation page for 'Hot Potato', but couldn't see anything there. Alternately, is there another way to describe this particular symptom that would be more clear? 121.45.171.124 (talk) 04:57, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

Yes deleted it ! Item added around November - laryngitis is a differnt (although may be coexisting) problem. As for "hot potato", never heard term used in UK - I've deleted uncite clause as drivel. David Ruben ^Talk 16:24, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

I copied and pasted it, and I found this - it is a misnomer for peritonsillar cellulitis, a kind of abscess, although I am not sure what that has to do with tonsillitis. 88.105.124.221 (talk) 17:39, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

Tonsilitis if not taken care of, usually leads to abscess, which causes the voice to sound like having a "hot potato" in mouth. 213.196.194.125 (talk) 20:50, 17 December 2017 (UTC)

Oh god make it go away

Do we really need that picture right on top of the article? I just wanted a general idea what tonsillitis is about and now that picture is burned into my mind and I am not going to be able to sleep tonight. :( 88.64.176.31 (talk) 00:43, 25 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes - fairly typical picture (not that severe either) and helps show what a bacterial infction is likely to look like (vs commoner viral sore throat that can look nearly normal). There are far more gruesome pictures arouin - if you don't want to see or read about such topics, don't go to such pages. David Ruben ^Talk 16:18, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

"if you don't want to see or read about such topics, don't go to such pages.", the reason some people come to this page is because they don't know it's such topic. What would be wrong with putting the picture lower at the page?87.212.16.222 (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added at 20:54, 31 January 2009 (UTC).

with a warning that your about to view pictures that some people may find upsetting :) ^^ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.166.64.78 (talk) 18:08, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

This is an encyclopedia. It is meant to produce such infomation. 88.105.124.221 (talk) 17:45, 22 November 2009 (UTC)

External Review Comments

Hello, Tonsilitis article writers and editors. This article currently a priority article for the Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Medicine/Google Project. The goal of this project to is provide a useful list of suggested revisions to help promote the expansion and improvement of this article.

BSW-RMH (talk) 03:54, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

Introduction

YI’ve rewritten the introduction to provide a general definition of tonsillitis and short overview of treatment and disease resolution:

"Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While viral tonsillitis usually resolves on its own, tonsillitis caused by bacteria is treatable with antibiotics, which usually resolves symptoms in two to three days."

BSW-RMH (talk) 03:54, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

Symptoms

This section would benefit from reorganization. The most reader friendly way to present symptoms is as a bulleted list. Some of the discussion of confusion with mononucleosis and which symptoms indicate viral vs. bacterial etiology is useful and should be retained after a list of common symptoms. It would also be good to briefly mention the symptoms that indicate strep throat (not the complications of strep throat, which may be included in the later section on this subject if desired). However, I think the ‘chronic tonsillitis’ information should probably be removed from this section and left in the ‘complications’ section, where it is also mentioned.

Suggested common symptoms list with references are as follows:

• red and/or swollen tonsils
• white or yellow patches on the tonsils
• tender, stiff, and/or swollen neck
• bad breath
• sore throat
• painful or difficult swallowing
• cough
• headache
• body aches
• fever
• chills
• nasal congestions

References:

• Tonsillopharyngitis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec08/ch090/ch090i.html. Accessed July 26, 2010.
• Wetmore RF. Tonsils and adenoids. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 380. ISBN 1416024506
• Thuma P (2001). Pharyngitis and tonsillitis. In RA Hoekelman et al., eds., Primary Pediatric Care, 4th ed., pp. 1744-1747. St. Louis: Mosby. ISBN 0323008313
• Simon HB (2006). Bacterial infections of the upper respiratory tract. In DC Dale, DD Federman, eds., ACP Medicine, section 7, chap. 19. New York: WebMD. ISBN 0974832766

Y Unsourced material was replaced with this sourced list BSW-RMH (talk) 17:17, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

Causes

This section requires additional information to be complete.

YI’ve added the following references to support the general description of tonsil function:

• van Kempen MJ, Rijkers GT, Van Cauwenberge PB. The immune response in adenoids and tonsils. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2000 May;122(1):8-19. PMID: 10859465
• Perry M, Whyte A. Immunology of the tonsils. Immunol Today. 1998 Sep;19(9):414-21. PMID: 9745205

The following information should be added: The most common causes of tonsillitis are the common cold viruses (adenovirus, rhinovirus, influenza, coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus). It can also be caused by Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, or HIV.

(NOTE: Could not confirm that some of the common cold viruses, especially coronavirae, can cause tonsillitis.. Please recheck original source of information and adjust accordingly)

The second most common causes are bacterial. The most common bacterial cause is Group A β-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS), which causes strep throat. Less common bacterial causes include: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, pertussis, Fusobacterium, diphtheria, syphilis, and gonorrhea.

• References: (see above: Merck, Wetmore, Thuma, Simon) Y Information added BSW-RMH (talk) 17:23, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

BSW-RMH (talk) 03:54, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

Treatment

This section has technical terminology which should be explained in more common terms. After a discussion of treatments for viral vs. bacterial driven tonsillitis, a bulleted list would also be useful here to overview the multitude of palliative treatments:

• pain reliever, anti-inflammatory, fever reducing medications (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin)
• sore throat relief (salt water gargle, lozenges, warm liquids)
• hydration
• rest

References: (see above: Merck, Wetmore, Thuma, Simon) and Medline Plus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001043.htm)

BSW-RMH (talk) 03:54, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

Y List added and section rewritten to improve clarity and reader comprehension. BSW-RMH (talk) 17:33, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

Complications

This section requires some clarification and expansion to be complete. It should begin with the most common complications: dehydration and kidney failure due to difficulty swallowing, blocked airways due to inflammation, and pharyngitis due to spread of infection. This should be followed by the existing discussion of abscess and Lemierre’s syndrome.

• References: (see above: Merck, Wetmore, Thuma, Simon) , Medline Plus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001043.htm), and WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tc/tonsillitis-home-treatment)

I clarified that the rheumatic fever and glomerulonephritis are complications specifically associated with untreated strep throat. Tonsillitis associated with strep throat, if untreated, can also lead to pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS).

• American Academy of Pediatrics (2006). Group A streptococcal infections. In LK Pickering et al., eds., Red Book: 2006 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, 27th ed., pp. 610–620. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics. ISBN 1581101945

BSW-RMH (talk) 03:54, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

Y All the suggestions for this section were incorporated. BSW-RMH (talk) 17:40, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

External Links

YI removed the listed external links because they were not reliable sources. I added a link to the online Merck Manual entry.

BSW-RMH (talk) 03:54, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

cold drinks..

i just want to ask.. does by drinking cold drinks as a daily routine can cause tonsillitis? my mum usually scold me that i drink too much ice-$cold water every time i got he tonsil.. i know it is un-healthy but does it really causing me having tonsillitis?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Miexah (talk • contribs) 16:08, 8 August 2010 (UTC)

Tonsils

I want to know if ginger/black pepper/lemon juice/jaggery/cardamom juice -juice boiled out of these ingredients is harmful to tonsils. I took this juice and it has aggravated my throat ache1 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.51.107.102 (talk) 21:47, 4 July 2011 (UTC)

Is tonsilitis hereditary?

Hi there,

I will like to know whether tonsilitis can be passed on from mother to unborn baby? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.190.68.156 (talk) 12:04, 7 October 2011 (UTC)

Strep throat synonym?

I am just wondering if it could be clarified that tonsillitis isn't commonly known as 'strep throat' everywhere - for instance in the UK, this term is essentially never used. It would be more encyclopaedic to adjust the paragraph to reflect this - for instance by adding "commonly referred to as strep throat ^in some countries / the USA^". 78.150.34.214 (talk) 21:46, 5 November 2014 (UTC)

Why the main article image is one of Pharyngitis?

Won't it be preferable to put an image of Tonsilitis instead of Pharyngitis or mixed oral inflammation? thanks, Ben-Yeudith (talk) 03:01, 20 May 2015 (UTC)