Tonsillitis is infection of your tonsils. Common symptoms include a sore throat in combination with fever, swollen tonsils, difficulty swallowing and swollen lymph nodes. Tonsillitis treatment depends on the cause of the infection. Although most common in children, tonsillitis can affect people of all ages.
Tonsillitis occurs when your tonsils become infected. Tonsils are the two small lumps of soft tissue — one on either side — at the back of your throat. You can see your tonsils in a mirror by opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue.
Part of your immune system, tonsils help trap germs that make you sick. When your tonsils become infected, they get swollen and sore, and swallowing may hurt. Tonsillitis is also called tonsillopharyngitis, but most people call it a sore throat.
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Tonsillitis is most common in children, but it can affect people of all ages. Tonsillitis rarely occurs in children under the age of three.
Tonsillitis is very common. Most people have tonsillitis at least once in their lifetime.
The most common symptom is a very sore throat. You might feel quite tired and weak, like you have a bad cold or flu. People with tonsillitis may experience a host of other symptoms, which we’ll outline in the section below.
Tonsillitis symptoms usually come on suddenly. They may include:
Tonsillitis can be viral or bacterial:
Yes. The viruses and bacteria that cause tonsillitis are highly contagious. They’re passed along by:
To diagnose tonsillitis, your healthcare provider will:
After confirming a tonsillitis diagnosis, your provider will need to determine whether the infection results from a virus or bacteria (strep throat). To do this, they may request a bacteria culture test.
During this procedure, your provider will swipe the back of your throat with a long cotton swab to gather cells and saliva. Then, they’ll check the sample to see if it tests positive for Group A Streptococcus bacteria. If your results are positive, you have strep throat. If your results are negative, you have viral tonsillitis.
Tonsillitis treatment depends on what caused the infection. While symptoms of viral tonsillitis and bacterial tonsillitis can be similar, their treatments are different.
Healthcare providers treat bacterial tonsillitis (strep throat) with antibiotic medications. Antibiotics require a prescription. You usually take antibiotics orally (by mouth) for about 10 days. The most common antibiotics for strep throat are:
It’s very important to follow your healthcare provider’s instructions and take the full course of antibiotics, even if you’re feeling better after a couple of days. You must finish the antibiotics so the infection doesn’t come back, get worse or spread to another part of your body.
The antibiotics used to treat bacterial tonsillitis (strep throat) won’t work on tonsillitis caused by a viral infection. To relieve the symptoms of viral tonsillitis, your provider will recommend:
If you have chronic or recurring tonsil infections, your healthcare provider may recommend a tonsillectomy. This is a procedure to surgically remove your tonsils.
In most cases, tonsillitis symptoms go away in three to four days. But if symptoms last longer, you should schedule a visit with your healthcare provider to rule out other, more serious issues.
To relieve the symptoms of viral and bacterial tonsillitis, you can:
Complications from tonsillitis are usually associated with strep throat and Streptococcal bacteria. They include:
While you can’t totally prevent tonsillitis, there are things you can do to reduce your risk. For example:
Most cases of viral tonsillitis clear up in a few days with fluids and plenty of rest. Antibiotics usually eliminate bacterial tonsillitis (strep throat) in about 10 days. Tonsillitis usually doesn’t cause any serious or lasting health problems.
Tonsillitis isn’t more serious in adults compared to children. But adults may have certain risk factors that can increase their chance of developing it. These risk factors might include:
Adults are also more likely to develop peritonsillar abscesses as a result of tonsillitis.
Most of the time, tonsillitis symptoms go away in three to four days. As mentioned above, be sure to call your healthcare provider if your symptoms last longer than that.
You should contact your healthcare provider if you have:
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Tonsillitis is an infection of your tonsils that can cause a sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing and other symptoms. Treatment depends on whether the infection is viral or bacterial. Tonsillitis is very common, and it’s easily treated with rest and medication. If you have chronic tonsil infections, your healthcare provider might recommend a tonsillectomy. To learn more about your treatment options, schedule a visit with your healthcare provider.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 07/08/2022.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy