Complications of chronic tonsillitis

Why does the disease occur and why is it dangerous?

Chronic tonsillitis is dangerous due to its complications

Symptoms of the disease can be considered:

• Constant sore throat (both mild and severe), sore throat.
• Puffiness in the nasopharynx.
• Enlarged tissue and pain when swallowing.
• High, non-reducing temperature.
• Bad breath.
• General fatigue and severe weakness.
• Slight shortness of breath when walking.
• The appearance of aches in the knee and wrist joints.

The above symptoms indicate a worsening of this disease and require immediate intervention by an otolaryngologist.

Causes of the disease:

1. Inflammation of the glands, which leads to frequent sore throats.
2. Abnormal growths of tissue in the nose (polyps).
3. Painful enlargement of adenoids in children.
4. The infection is concentrated in nearby organs.
5. Purulent inflammation.
6. The nasal septum is of irregular configuration, resulting in impaired breathing.
7. Decrease in the general protective reaction of the whole body.

Most often, tonsillitis occurs when the normal development of the tonsils is disrupted. It also appears due to narrow, deep or branching depressions and crevices between the palatine glands, which penetrate the tonsils, making it difficult to remove pus or fluid from sections located quite deep.

In the case of self-medication and without medical supervision, as well as the lack of prevention, in most cases very serious complications are monitored, namely: inflammation of the lungs and kidneys, decreased immunity and the occurrence of heart disease.

Causes of chronic tonsillitis

Tonsils (simply tonsils) consist of lymphoid tissue and are part of the immune system of our body. Their purpose is to fight viruses and bacteria that enter the throat. With prolonged, frequent, untreated infectious and inflammatory diseases of the nasopharynx (sore throat, pharyngitis, sinusitis, sinusitis, gingivitis, etc.), the immune system weakens and the tonsils become unable to prevent the attack of pathogenic microorganisms, which leads to the appearance of a focus of chronic infection.

Among the causes of tonsillitis are also the presence of carious teeth, oral dysbiosis, unbalanced diet, bad habits, vitamin deficiency, constant stress, lack of sleep, frequent hypothermia, and poor living conditions. A deviated nasal septum also contributes to the development of the disease.

Chronic infection leads to the replacement of lymphoid tissue with connective tissue, the formation of scars, and narrowing of the external opening of the lacunae of the tonsils, which ultimately provokes the appearance of purulent plugs. Accumulations of food particles mixed with purulent discharge lead to the penetration of pathogenic bacteria, their breakdown products and the toxins they release into the systemic bloodstream, causing chronic intoxication of the body and decreased immunity.

Features of treatment

The correct treatment for the disease is prescribed by the doctor after examination!

The choice of methods and drugs for therapy depends on the severity of the course. For treatment to be effective, you first need to sanitize teeth with caries, various inflammations in the nose and sinuses.

The following methods of therapy are used:

• Ultrasound treatment of the deep sinuses of the glands with subsequent removal of purulent plugs. Basically, this procedure is performed using the Tonzillor ultrasound device. Ultrasound helps to suppress inflammation and shrink the tonsils.
• The use of a laser beam, which has both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects.
• Impregnation of the mucous membrane with salt ingredients of minerals aimed at increasing the body's protective reaction and having an anti-allergic form.
• The fixative stage is achieved with immunostimulating drugs.
• Treatment with artificially created antibiotics is allowed only at the moment of extreme exacerbation or when all methods and means have already been tried and have not brought results.

Remember: antibiotics, before reaching the source of the disease, pass through the entire body and act on all organs, causing a failure of the protective reaction, a change in the state of the microbial balance in the human body, as well as other diseases.

Tonsil removal

Tonsil removal procedure

In the simplest form of the disease, 10-day courses of treatment are used over 1 or 2 years. If the effectiveness of treatment is insufficient or a complication occurs, a repeat course is prescribed. It is also fraught with surgical intervention.

Treatment can still be prescribed for the first degree of tonsillitis, but the activity of the lesion is already felt so that complications are likely in any case. As a result, you should not delay going to the doctor and prescribing medications. But the second degree form is already characterized by the rapid development of the disease with adverse consequences.

Chronic tonsillitis can be cured only by killing the microorganisms of the infectious focus using tonsillectomy.

Surgical intervention to remove the tonsils is not recommended, because our body is created in such a way that there cannot be unnecessary organs in it. But there are no rules without exceptions. There are 3 reasons, after identification of which surgical intervention is recommended:

1. Very frequent, 5-7 times per year, recurring sore throats, which are accompanied by high temperature, up to 39-40 C. Complications such as pyelonephritis or polyarthritis appear.
2. As a result of suffering from tonsillitis, diseases of the cardiovascular system appeared.
3. Even if no cases of tonsillitis have been identified, then against the background of heart or vascular diseases, there may be an accumulation of pus in the cavities and crevices of the glands.

Remember that there is no single disease, it is a general process, and it is necessary to treat not so much the lesion as the person as a whole, since the symptoms are interrelated.

Traditional methods

Gargling is an effective method of treating chronic tonsillitis

It must be remembered that traditional methods of treatment are only auxiliary therapy. To cure chronic tonsillitis, you need a long-term and complex treatment method.

Signs of bacterial and viral tonsillitis in adults

The most effective folk methods and tips:

• Douching of the tonsils. It is performed exclusively in a clinic by an ENT doctor. If this procedure is not feasible for any reason, then squeezing out the pustules using cotton pads soaked in Lugol's solution is used. But there is no need to go too far. If obstacles arise here, it is better to rinse several times a day with a tincture consisting of 1 part of alcoholic propolis and 2 parts of glycerin for 2 weeks.
• To gargle, use a solution consisting of a glass of warm water with the addition of 1/2 tsp. soda and salt, 5-6 drops of iodine. We repeat the procedure up to 3-4 times a day.
• You can rinse with tinctures of blackberries, burdock, mint, calendula, wormwood, plantain, sage, raspberries, a decoction of oak bark, thyme, and chamomile. And also red beet juice (1 tsp apple cider vinegar per 1 glass of juice) and garlic infusion (cut 3-4 cloves of garlic, brew in a glass of boiling water and leave for 40-50 minutes).
• Hot tea with lemon and honey, green infusion or herbal decoction, blackcurrant juice (can be diluted if you find the natural one cloying) have a positive effect. To brew herbal teas, it is better to use mint, chamomile, golden root or rosea radiola, raspberries, marshmallow and clover, which also cleanses the blood, currants, blackberries and elecampane. Spices such as cloves and turmeric are added to herbal teas for greater effectiveness.
• Chewing propolis. This must be done after meals for 2-4 weeks several times a day. Children are recommended 1 gram, and adults – 3 grams. Propolis not only improves immunity, but also relieves pain, being an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent. But people who are overly sensitive to bee products may experience allergies.
• Inhale freshly chopped onions for 3 minutes several times a day. At night, using onion and honey, you can make compresses that would warm the front of the neck.
• Using licorice roots. We crush the plant, then steam it in boiling water, add raw ginger (spring) or violet (autumn), boil for a few minutes, and take the hot decoction overnight.

In addition to medications, it is important to maintain a drinking regime and eat properly!

Additional tips for treating chronic tonsillitis:

1. We eat only foods rich in fiber. This normalizes intestinal function. It is recommended to eat less meat and dairy foods, that is, those rich in proteins. After eating, be sure to rinse your mouth to avoid any remaining crumbs.
2. In any case, you need to avoid smoking, both active and passive.
3. It is best to wash your hair with warm water, never hot. At the end you can rinse with cool water.
4. Sleep patterns, nutrition, proper bowel function and hardening - all this helps improve the body's immune system.
5. Voice vibration massage. You need to use your voice to feel the vibration. To do this, relax the neck, throat and facial muscles as much as possible. Then we say “S” for about a minute.

How to recognize bacterial tonsillitis and how to treat it?

More information about the treatment of chronic tonsillitis can be found in the video:

Oils of bergamot, lemon, geranium, lime, eucalyptus, fir, lemon and ginger, used in aromatherapy for:

• Cool inhalations. Place a few drops of liquid on a cloth or inhale directly from the bottle for 5 minutes.
• Aroma lamps. The dosage of drops is determined individually at the rate of 4:8 drops per 15 m2 for 3 hours.
• Steam inhalation. Add a few drops of oily tincture to a bowl of boiling water, cover your head with a towel and breathe in the aroma for 10 minutes with your eyes closed.

Prevention of chronic tonsillitis will always include maintaining a healthy lifestyle, quitting smoking and drinking alcohol, increasing the body's immune system, hardening, timely consultation with a doctor, identifying lesions and effective treatment of acute tonsillitis.

As for the prognosis of this disease, with competent, timely and prompt treatment with both folk remedies and medications, as a rule, they are extremely favorable.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy for angina is a set of procedures when the area of ​​the pathological focus is affected by a physical factor (current, magnetic field, ultraviolet and infrared rays, temperature). At this moment, various chemical and biological processes are activated, which has a beneficial effect on the course of the disease.

Physiotherapy should be carried out a few days after the onset of the disease. The main techniques are ultrasound, ultraviolet irradiation, laser therapy, microwave, UHF, inhalation, electrophoresis, ultraphonophoresis (phonophoresis) and mud therapy.

Ultrasound therapy (US) is the effect of sound vibrations on the tonsils, which causes activation of local immunity and cleansing of the contents of the lacunae. It is prescribed more often to adults, since a child may not be able to withstand a rather painful procedure.

Ultraviolet irradiation (UVR) can be general and local. When applied topically, a tube is inserted into the oral cavity, towards the tonsils. With general UV irradiation, the collar zone is irradiated. The procedure has a powerful bactericidal effect.

Laser therapy is a modern method of physical treatment. The process is painless, quick and very effective. Laser beams reduce pain and swelling and have a bactericidal effect. In addition, the laser allows for surgical removal of tonsils without blood loss and the risk of infection.

Carrying out ultraphonophoresis for chronic tonsillitis with aloe extract or extract from medicinal mud is effective in case of adhesions on the tonsils. It is possible to use interferon to enhance immunity.

Ultrahigh-frequency therapy (UHF) activates the phagocytic activity of leukocytes, relieves swelling and inflammation in the tonsils. A particularly good effect is achieved by combining ultrasound and microwave therapy.

Electrophoresis is most often prescribed by a doctor in the presence of concomitant diseases and complications due to intoxication. For example, a physiotherapist will do an endonasal procedure with calcium for diseases of the nasal cavity. Galvanization of the cervicofacial region is carried out for diseases of the brain.

The inhalation process is simple and can be done at home. Due to the action of warm, moist steam, blood flow increases and swelling decreases. It is also possible to use the procedure in conjunction with anti-inflammatory drugs.

Mud therapy has the ability to resolve adhesions that impede the outflow of pus from the lacunae of the tonsils. The mud is applied to the collar and front areas of the neck. More often this procedure is carried out in medical sanatoriums.

According to clinical studies, it has been proven that UHF therapy for angina can aggravate the pathological process in the lacunae of the tonsils. Therefore, its use in this disease is limited.

Comments (2)

• Ira

  08/13/2017 at 23:26 |
  I have chronic tonsillitis and I have been suffering from it for a long time, it is better not to let my illness reach such a state. For me, this is dangerous because rheumatism has begun to appear and the temperature does not normalize.

  Answer

• Tatiana

  04/20/2018 at 04:11 |

  I have suffered from chronic tonsillitis since childhood. Douching at the clinic does not help me. During an exacerbation, I save myself by rinsing with soda and chewing propolis. I also periodically take rheumatic tests.

  Answer

Diagnostics ↑

The diagnosis and subsequent treatment of chronic tonsillitis in children and adults is carried out by an otolaryngologist and therapist, after examining and questioning the patient, they can give him a referral for additional clinical studies.

Diagnosis stages:

The first stage is to examine the throat using a reflector and a spatula. An otolaryngologist will take a swab from the oropharynx, nasopharynx and the contents of the lacuna for bacteriological examination.

The second stage - laboratory diagnostics will help determine the inflammation based on the composition of the blood and urine. In the presence of a chronic form of the disease, usually, test data do not indicate the development of active inflammation. With exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis, additional signs of chronic tonsillitis are observed.

The third stage - to identify complications, the following examinations of organs are prescribed: ECG, ultrasound of the heart and liver, gallbladder, biliary tract, kidneys, tests for the presence of “C-reactive” protein.

After making a diagnosis, the patient and the doctor wonder how to cure chronic tonsillitis?