Chronic tonsillitis is a common disease that many people are believed to experience. According to the survey, about 22% of patients in the population have chronic tonsillitis, and the incidence is higher in children. When you think about the role of tonsils in helping the body fight infection, some people do not want to have their tonsils removed, even if they suffer from chronic inflammation for a long time. Doctors suggest that in five cases, you can consider removing your tonsils.

Tonsillitis can affect the whole body

Tonsils, also called tonsils, get their name because they look like almonds. Generally speaking, the tonsils refer to the maxillary tonsils visible to the naked eye. It is located in the lateral wall of the isthmus, between the lingual and palatine arch and the pharyngopalatine arch. It is oblate oval, covered with mucosal epithelium and fibrous membrane at the bottom. It is loosely connected with the muscular layer of the pharyngeal wall and easy to separate. There are also pharyngeal tonsils and lingual tonsils.

Like other glandular tissues, the tonsil is part of the body's immune system and is the largest of the pharyngeal lymphatic tissues, a molecule in the inner ring of the pharyngeal lymphatic. When a child is 6 to 7 years old, the lymphatic tissue hyperplasia, the tonsils may become enlarged, which is physiological hypertrophy, and will gradually shrink after middle age. The main role of these glands is to help the body fight infections.

When tonsillitis occurs, the tonsils are infected. It is usually lost due to bacterial infection of the throat and upper respiratory tract. In addition, chronic tonsillitis in the case of changes in the internal and external environment of the body, easy to form lesions, allergic reactions, resulting in various complications, such as rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, heart disease, nephritis and other systemic diseases.

The difference between acute and chronic tonsillitis

Tonsillitis is divided into acute tonsillitis and chronic tonsillitis, let's introduce it in detail:

Acute tonsillitis, acute non-specific inflammation, often secondary to upper respiratory tract infection, is a very common pharyngeal disease. It occurs in children and young people, and is easy to develop when the seasons change and the temperature changes.

Main pathogenic bacteria: Type B hemolytic streptococcus, but non-hemolytic streptococcus, staphylococcus, streptococcus pneumoniae, influenza bacillus or adenovirus, rhinovirus, herpes simplex virus can also cause the disease. Mixed bacterial and viral infections are also common. The above pathogens exist in the normal oral cavity and amygdala body without causing disease, when certain factors lead to systemic or local resistance decline, the pathogens invade the human body, or the original large number of bacteria multiply and cause disease. Cold, humidity, excessive fatigue, excessive alcohol and tobacco, harmful gases can be inducements. The pathogen of acute tonsillitis is transmitted by droplets or direct contact.

Symptoms: systemic symptoms of acute onset, headache, chills, high fever up to 39℃ to 40℃, especially children can be due to high fever convulsions, vomiting and so on. Local symptoms pharyngeal pain is obvious, when the pain is severe, it can cause dysphagia, it can also radiate to the ear, tinnitus, ear tightness hearing loss, etc., if the children are affected by the hypertrophy of the tonsils when breathing, it can hinder their sleep and often wake up at night.

Chronic tonsillitis, mostly due to acute tonsillitis repeated attacks or due to poor drainage of palatine tonsils, fossa bacterial virus infection and evolution into chronic inflammation. It can also be secondary to scarlet fever, diphtheria, influenza, measles, nasal and sinus infections.

Main pathogens: Streptococcus and staphylococcus.

Symptoms: Recurrent acute tonsillitis attacks, and pharyngeal discomfort and blockage. There are also some patients without obvious acute attack history, manifested as frequent pharyngeal discomfort, foreign body sensation, dry, itchy, irritating cough, halitosis and so on. Hypertrophy of the tonsils can cause difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, poor breathing, or snoring during sleep. Pus supposits often enter the digestive tract with swallowing, and some patients may have indigestion, headache, weakness of limbs, easy fatigue or low fever.

Five things to consider removing your tonsils

Should the tonsils be removed or kept? Many people only see the immune effect of the tonsils, and would rather suffer from the repeated toss of tonsillitis, rather than do tonsillectomy. This view is not correct, when the tonsil recurrent inflammatory attack, and seriously affect the normal physiological function of the body, can be considered surgical treatment. You can consider removing your tonsils if:

1. Recurrent acute tonsillitis attacks, each infection will appear fever, pharyngeal pain, throat mucosal congestion phenomenon, while there can be suppurative tonsillitis, manifested as the surface of the tonsils pus, more than 4 to 5 times a year, continuous attacks for 2 years.

2. Excessive hypertrophy of tonsils, hindering swallowing, breathing, vocal functions, snoring during sleep.

3. Repeated infection of the tonsils leads to rheumatic heart disease, myocarditis, arthritis, glomerulonephritis and skin diseases, etc., should consider removing the tonsils.

4. Diphtheria carriers, when conservative treatment is ineffective.

5. Various benign tumors of the tonsils can be removed together with the tonsils.

It should be noted that each person's disease development and their own physical conditions are different, do not need surgery, or go to a regular hospital, through the professional doctor diagnosis guidance, and then determine whether to carry out surgical treatment.

How to prevent the recurrence of chronic tonsillitis? Prevention is always the best cure. To protect your tonsils, you can try this:

More exercise, enhance physical fitness, improve immunity and disease resistance.

Take plenty of rest and don't overwork your body.

Avoid catching cold to prevent colds.

Drink plenty of water to keep your throat moist.

Carefully brush teeth and gargle to create a good oral environment for tonsils.

Eat less spicy food.