Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis involves a swelling of the tonsils, so the most apparent symptom of tonsillitis is a sore, swollen throat. Your tonsils may also look red.

Other tonsillitis symptoms include:

• Pain when you swallow

• Difficulty swallowing

• A high temperature

• A cough

• Headache

• Earache

• Feeling sick

• Tummy pain

• Tiredness

With more severe tonsillitis, you might have:

• Swollen glands that you can feel by touching the outside of your neck

• White spots filled with pus on your tonsils

• Smelly breath

The cold, flu virus, or bacterial infection that causes tonsillitis is contagious. If you or your child have tonsillitis:

• Stay home from work or school until the symptoms get better

• Use tissues to catch coughs or sneezes, and flush them in the toilet or throw them away properly

• Wash your hands often

There isn’t a treatment for viral tonsillitis, but there are ways you can make yourself feel better while you have it:

• Get lots of rest while you have tonsillitis symptoms

• Drink lots of cool drinks to soothe your sore throat

• Gargle with warm salt water (adults only – children shouldn’t do this in case they swallow it)

• Take paracetamol or ibuprofen

• Eat ice lollies

• Suck lozenges or use throat spray

If you have bacterial tonsillitis, a GP might prescribe antibiotics.

If you have white spots on your tonsils or your throat is so sore that it’s hard to swallow food or drink, speak to a GP.

You should also talk to them if you have tonsillitis symptoms for longer than 4 days. They might want to do a swab test to check for bacterial tonsillitis or a blood test to check for glandular fever.

Tonsillitis doesn’t usually cause complications but can affect you more if you have a weakened immune system.

Some people get tonsillitis a lot, known as recurrent tonsillitis. A GP might recommend having your tonsils taken out (a tonsillectomy) if it’s making you miss lots of work or for a child who is missing lots of school. Children often grow out of getting tonsillitis as they get older, so a GP might recommend waiting to see if that happens.

If you have bacterial tonsillitis, you may get a build-up of pus (an abscess known as quinsy) trapped behind or around your tonsils. A GP will prescribe antibiotics and might recommend surgery to drain it. They may also refer you to a specialist to talk about having a tonsillectomy.