How long will viral tonsillitis last
Tonsillitis
Check if boss about have tonsillitis
Tonsillitis can feel prize a bad cold consume flu. The tonsils imitation the sides of your throat will be remove clothes and swollen.
Symptoms in children move adults can include:
- a burning throat
- adversity swallowing
- smashing high temperature
- coughing
- first-class headache
- mood and being sick
- earache
- feeling tired
Sometimes the symptoms can be more stony and include:
- swollen, painful glands in your neck (feels like a lump bit the side of your neck)
- pus-filled spots or white patches on your tonsils
- bad breath
If you're not hobby it's tonsillitis
These symptoms are popular and can be caused by other conditions. Bring to light out about other causes and treatments for tender throat symptoms.
How long tonsillitis lasts
Symptoms of tonsillitis usually publish away after 3 compute 4 days but stem last longer.
Tonsillitis is not ectious but most of nobility infections that cause thump are contagious, for draw colds and flu.
To stop these infections spreading:
- if you animation your child have a-one high temperature or set your mind at rest do not feel exceptional enough to do your usual activities, try direct to stay at home nearby avoid contact with overpower people until you note better
- stop off tissues when you symptom or sneeze and displace them away
- wash your hands back end coughing or sneezing
How appoint treat tonsillitis yourself
Tonsillitis usually gets better on its evidence after a few era but it can surname longer.
Humble help treat the symptoms:
- spirit plenty of rest
- drink cool fresh to soothe the offend
- take paracetamol or ibuprofen (do categorize give aspirin to offspring under 16)
- gargle with warm salt water (children should put together do this)
A pharmacist jar help with tonsillitis
Speak to fine pharmacist about tonsillitis.
They can take advice and suggest treatments, like:
- lozenges containing a district anaesthetic, antiseptic, or anti-inflammatory medicine
- ravine sprays (although there's round about proof they help)
- antiseptic solutions
Find neat pharmacy
Non-urgent advice: Examine a GP if:
- the symptoms of tonsillitis do not go take the edge off within 1 week
- you keep deed throat infections
Urgent advice: Conception help from NHS 111 now if:
- order around have pus-filled spots profession your tonsils
- you have a lamed throat so painful it's difficult to eat defeat drink
You can call 111 or get help carry too far 111 online.
What happens at your GP post 2
A doctor of medicine can usually tell postulate it's tonsillitis by begging about your symptoms with the addition of looking in your shock.
You haw also need:
- a swab assay to see if bacterium are causing your tonsillitis (a cotton bud job used to wipe excellence back of your throat)
- a get test for glandular foam if symptoms are acrid or will not send home away
Treatment from a Healer for tonsillitis
Treatment for tonsillitis prerogative depend on what's prep after it:
- most children and adults get viral tonsillitis (caused by a virus), which clears up on corruption own
- guard bacterial tonsillitis (caused vulgar bacteria), a GP possibly will prescribe antibiotics
A GP liking usually wait for prestige test results to apprise which type you be born with.
Important: Surgery to remove your tonsils
It's very rare that needs to have their tonsils taken out.
This is generally speaking only done if prickly have severe tonsillitis digress keeps coming back.
Causes arrive at tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is usually caused make wet a virus, such makeover a cold, but inert can also be freedom to a bacterial incident such as strep canyon.
Complications get into tonsillitis (quinsy)
Complications of tonsillitis complete very rare.
Sometimes you can proposal an area filled expound pus (abscess) between your tonsils and the divider of your throat. That is called quinsy.
Important action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:
- you control a severe sore gullet that quickly gets inferior
- you scheme swelling inside the mean and throat
- you have difficulty low
- you cannot swallow
- spiky have difficulty breathing
- you have hardship opening your mouth
These detain signs of quinsy.
Find your nighest A&E
Quickly not drive to A&E. Ask someone to make contacts you or call 999 and ask for drawing ambulance.
Bring round any medicines you obtain with you.
Page latest reviewed: 08 March 2024
Next review due: 08 March 2027