✅ How to distinguish a sore throat from tonsillitis

What is the difference between a sore throat and tonsillitis? To understand this issue, it is necessary to turn to the etiology of disease names. Tonsillitis comes from the Latin “tonsillae”, which means tonsils. The word sore throat - “ango” - is translated as squeezing, squeezing the soul.

Treatment of sore throat and tonsillitis should be carried out under medical supervision

Is tonsillitis a sore throat or not, what are the features of these diseases? Many people who have a sore throat ask similar questions. Sore throat is an acute inflammatory process caused by a bacterial, viral or fungal infection. The term tonsillitis is used to describe chronic inflammation of the tonsils. An exacerbation of this form of the disease is also called angina.

Reasons for the development of pathology

According to the famous pediatrician E. O. Komarovsky, tonsillitis, unlike sore throat, develops as a result of infection of the body with viruses, which is why the patient experiences redness of the mucous membrane of the throat, pain when swallowing, runny nose and increased body temperature.

The most common causative agents of sore throat are bacteria.

The causative agents of sore throat, in turn, are bacteria, usually streptococcus and staphylococcus, which very often affect the tonsils, causing purulent inflammation. In 80% of cases, the causative agent of the disease is streptococcus bacteria (most often β-hemolytic streptococcus of group A, or pyogenic streptococcus), and only in 10% of cases the disease is caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Also, both types of bacteria are detected in 10% of patients.

It is important to note that tonsillitis differs from tonsillitis in that it is an acute disease. It cannot last more than two weeks. You can't get a sore throat every month. The cause of the disease cannot be hypothermia. Sore throat develops only in cases where streptococcus or staphylococcus has entered the body from the outside.

Infection occurs through contact with a carrier of the infection, most often through airborne droplets. Bacteria are released along with saliva or mucus and remain in the air for some time. If a person with a weakened immune system inhales them, the microbes enter the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract and cause an inflammatory process.

If treatment for the disease is started in a timely manner and all doctor’s recommendations are followed, angina can be successfully treated. But if you start it, there is a very high probability that the disease will cause complications. Streptococcus is the causative agent of myocarditis, pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis or rheumatism.

If the bacteria that caused the development of the disease are insensitive to penicillins, antibiotics of other groups are prescribed: cephalosporins, macrolides. In severe forms of the disease, drugs are administered parenterally.

Often the tonsils become a source of chronic infection in the body. The reason for this may be a decrease in immunity or exposure to household factors. With repeated inflammation, they speak of the development of chronic tonsillitis.

Exposure to the body of any negative factors, such as hypothermia, colds, stressful situations, leads to the fact that the process worsens and all the symptoms of a sore throat appear. Often chronic tonsillitis becomes a companion to bronchial asthma.

Tonsillitis can be the result of an allergic reaction. Swelling of the tonsils appears due to the body's immune response to contact with the allergen.

But exacerbation of the disease does not occur due to the fact that pathogenic microbes entered the body from the outside. In this case, the bacteria that constantly live on the tonsils begin to actively multiply.

What is the difference between tonsillitis and tonsillitis? Description of diseases and treatment features

With the onset of cold weather, many of us begin to suffer from colds, the first sign of which, as a rule, is a sore throat. What is the difference between tonsillitis and tonsillitis? Knowing the differences between these diseases is necessary in order to prescribe the correct therapy. Otherwise, treatment will be ineffective and may further worsen the disease. By and large, we are dealing with the same pathology, the only difference is that tonsillitis is its chronic form, and tonsillitis is acute. Due to the similarity of symptoms, many people often confuse the diseases with each other, but in reality, tonsillitis and tonsillitis occur differently and require different treatments. What is the difference between these diseases?

Symptoms of a sore throat

The following symptoms indicate that the patient has a sore throat:

acute onset of the disease, a sharp increase in body temperature to 39–40 °C;
development of sore throat, it intensifies when swallowing and can radiate to the ears;
the appearance of symptoms of acute intoxication, such as weakness, loss of appetite, headache, sweating, chills;
rapid increase in the size of the tonsils; the mucous membrane becomes red, a purulent white-yellow coating appears; with lacunar angina, pus accumulates in the lacunae, and with follicular angina, on the surface of the tonsils in the form of plugs. This main sign of a sore throat can be seen even in the photo.

With angina, the tonsils increase significantly in size

Another symptom of the disease is inflammation of the lymph nodes under the lower jaw and/or near the ear; they increase in size and become painful.

With an exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis, the patient may experience the same symptoms.

Differences between tonsillitis and tonsillitis

Let's talk about the difference between tonsillitis and tonsillitis. There is practically no difference in etiology between acute and chronic forms of tonsillitis. The causative agents of both forms can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, and rods, which are activated under the influence of unfavorable factors.

The most common causative agent of the disease is group A streptococcus. Throat injury, burn of the throat mucosa, inflammation of the nasopharynx can also cause the disease in cases of weakened immunity.

Both types of disease differ from each other in the severity of symptoms. If in a chronic course the symptoms are smoothed out and weakly expressed, then in an acute course the clinical picture is bright, the symptoms increase quickly, the development is rapid, and severe intoxication phenomena are observed.
In the chronic course, catarrhal symptoms and nasal congestion are more pronounced, which is extremely rarely observed in the acute course. In case of tonsillitis, purulent plugs form in the tonsils; in chronic tonsillitis, caseous plugs form.
There are also differences in treatment. In the acute phase, antibacterial therapy is mandatory and bed rest is prescribed. In chronic cases, bed rest and antibiotics are not needed, unless antibiotic sprays are used for the throat. Otherwise, the therapeutic measures are similar: symptomatic therapy, vitamins, diet, drinking plenty of fluids, gargling.
Acute tonsillitis differs from chronic tonsillitis by a high risk of complications that threaten the patient’s life. With a sluggish process, severe complications also develop (rheumatism, glomerulonephritis), but with timely treatment these conditions do not lead to death. After a sore throat, blood poisoning, brain abscess, myocarditis, and laryngeal edema may develop. These dangerous diseases end in the death of the patient if urgent measures are not taken.

Prevention in both cases is the same: strengthening the immune system, avoiding hypothermia, good nutrition, courses of vitamin therapy, timely treatment of infectious diseases of the nasopharynx and chronic pathologies.

How to treat a sore throat

During the acute period of the disease, until the patient's body temperature returns to normal, he needs bed rest. Physical activity increases the possibility of developing complications.

It is important that food during the acute period of the disease does not injure the inflamed tonsils

The basic rule is sufficient fluid intake (water, dried fruit compote, tea). This makes it possible to reduce intoxication. The patient should be fed according to appetite (do not insist on eating food). It is important that food does not injure the inflamed tonsils. The best option would be soup, broth, jelly or puree. Food should be at room temperature.

Antibiotics are used to treat sore throat. In most cases, penicillins (Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Augmentin) are prescribed. The drugs must be taken according to the instructions, in adequate doses. You should not stop using these medications immediately after the symptoms of the disease have eased, as this will lead to the development of complications. Medicines are taken from 5 to 10 days, depending on the severity of the disease.

If the bacteria that caused the development of the disease are insensitive to penicillins, antibiotics of other groups are prescribed: cephalosporins, macrolides. In severe forms of the disease, drugs are administered parenterally.

It is important to note that tonsillitis differs from tonsillitis in that it is an acute disease. It cannot last more than two weeks. You can't get a sore throat every month. The cause of the disease cannot be hypothermia.

In order to relieve a sore throat and lower body temperature, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed: Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Nimesulide. They are used 2-3 times a day (depending on the dosage) or as needed.

Antiseptics help reduce pain and eliminate the inflammatory process. They are produced in the form of tablets or lozenges. They contain components that inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, analgesics and plant extracts. Such medications are used from 3 to 8 times a day, depending on the presence of pain.

Also included in the group of antiseptic agents that can influence the disease locally are throat sprays. Such drugs are applied to the affected area using a spray. They help reduce the manifestations of the disease.

Various rinses do not shorten the period of the disease, but help relieve sore throat. With the use of these drugs, the patient's condition improves. At home, they use saline and soda solutions, decoctions of medicinal herbs or antiseptics. Depending on the solution used, you can gargle up to 6 times a day. This method of treatment should not be abused, as intense vibration of the tonsils can lead to a slowdown in recovery processes.

Often the tonsils become a source of chronic infection in the body. The reason for this may be a decrease in immunity or exposure to household factors. With repeated inflammation, they speak of the development of chronic tonsillitis.

In case of exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis, the same treatment is carried out as for angina. The patient is prescribed antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and painkillers.

Both sore throat and chronic tonsillitis can cause complications, so treatment of the disease should be carried out under the supervision of an otolaryngologist. You should not self-medicate, understand the peculiarities of the course of the pathology, determine how to correctly name the disease, and prescribe therapy should be a specialist.

What is the difference between tonsillitis and tonsillitis?

The lymphoid tissue from which the tonsils are formed is involved in the production of immune cells and hematopoiesis. The tonsils are a barrier to infection entering the body. They are the first to take the blow when the body is attacked by pathogenic microflora. It is not surprising that many people often suffer from inflammation of the tonsils. This inflammation is called tonsillitis or tonsillitis. The question often arises: how does a sore throat differ from tonsillitis? Is this the same disease or is there a difference between them? Sore throat and tonsillitis are one disease. There is a difference between the forms of pathology.

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