Chronic tonsillitis - symptoms

As a rule, chronic diseases are characterized by prolonged sluggish inflammatory processes with recurrent relapses. This also applies to the chronic form of tonsillitis, in which inflammation of the pharyngeal and palatine tonsils is caused by various pathogens of the infection. Often, streptococci, staphylococci, adenoviruses, herpesviruses, fungi, etc. often act as pathogens of the disease. Chronic tonsillitis can develop both after the acute process in tonsils and as an independent pathology against the weakened immunity.

Symptoms and signs of chronic tonsillitis in adults

One of the main symptoms in chronic tonsillitis is the presence in the lacunae of tonsils of tight purulent-caseous plugs, which consist of necrotic tissues, dead blood cells, accumulated infectious particles, toxins. The corks look like yellowish-white curdled clumps, with tubercles protruding on the surface of the tonsils. In some cases, their presence is accompanied by the accumulation of liquid pus. When the lacunae overflow with stoppers, they themselves go into the mouth.

Other manifestations of the disease are:

• unpleasant odor from the mouth;
• Discomfort, soreness in the throat when swallowing, especially in the morning;
• coughing;
• recurring headaches;
• increase, soreness of cervical and submandibular lymph nodes;
• yellowish white coating on the basis of the tongue;
• persistent redness, swelling, hyperplasia of the palatine arch;
• looseness or consolidation of the tonsils;
• the appearance of cicatricial adhesions between the palatine arches and tonsils;
• frequent feelings of general weakness, fatigue;
• subfebrile body temperature .

Symptoms of exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis

Chronic tonsillitis in very rare cases occurs without periodic exacerbations, more often in patients there are cases of exacerbation twice or thrice or more times a year. Relapses are provoked by hypothermia, viral respiratory infections, general weakening of the body's immune defense. The clinical picture becomes very pronounced, it includes such signs:

• intense sore throat , making it difficult to swallow, talk, open the mouth;
• severe puffiness, redness and enlargement of the tonsils;
• increase in body temperature, sometimes up to 39-40 ° C;
• feeling of general weakness, weakness;
• headache, muscle pain.

Symptoms of chronic compensated tonsillitis

With a compensated form of the disease, there are local symptoms of chronic inflammation of the tonsils, while their basic protective functions are still preserved. As a rule, exacerbations in this case do not happen often, and sometimes the clinical picture of this form of tonsillitis is quite worn out.

Symptoms of chronic decompensated tonsillitis

With the decompensated form of chronic tonsillitis, the tonsils can not cope with their functions due to irreversible changes that have occurred with their tissues. In this case, the tonsils are only the focus of infection, which extends to the surrounding tissues, and also easily penetrates the blood and lymph flow into others organs - the heart, kidneys, pelvic organs, etc. In this case, exacerbations occur frequently, and there are not only local signs of chronic inflammation, but also symptoms of significant general intoxication of the organism and manifestation of emerging complications depending on their location:

• pain in the heart and joints;
• shortness of breath, etc.

This form of tonsillitis is necessarily subject to surgical treatment.