Symptoms of tonsillitis

Symptoms of tonsillitis

Typical symptoms:

• Sore throat, often severe, with pain on swallowing
• Red, swollen tonsils - sometimes with white or yellow pus patches
• Fever, headache and general misery
• Swollen, tender glands in the neck
• Hoarse or muffled voice, bad breath
• Ear pain (referred from the throat)
• In young children: refusal to eat or drink, drooling, irritability, stomach ache or vomiting rather than a complained "sore throat"

Viral vs strep clues: runny nose, cough, hoarseness and conjunctivitis point to viral. Sudden high fever, very painful throat, pus patches, tender neck glands and NO cough point to strep - worth a doctor's assessment for testing and antibiotics.

Danger signs - emergency care (call 112 or go to hospital):

• Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing
• Drooling and inability to swallow saliva
• Severe one-sided throat pain and swelling with difficulty opening the mouth (possible peritonsillar abscess)
• A muffled "hot potato" voice with high fever
• Dehydration - a child passing little urine, no tears, very lethargic

See a doctor (non-emergency) if: fever above 101F for over 2 days, pus on tonsils, rash, symptoms beyond a week, or repeated attacks.

Remember: pus patches + high fever + no cough = get checked for strep; breathing or swallowing trouble = emergency.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive)

Classical texts describe these throat presentations in dosha terms - descriptive only. Danger signs belong to emergency care.