ENT
CONDITIONS
Tonsillitis
Acute tonsillitis
Acute tonsillitis is one of the most common infections encountered in everyday practice.
Chronic tonsillitis
Chronic tonsillitis is one of the commonest chronic infections, characterised by recurrent acute attacks.
Causes
Acute Tonsillitis
Age: Acute tonsillitis occurs frequently upto the age of 15 years, but no age is a bar to it.
Sex: Both sexes are affected equally.
Predisposing Factors
(A) Endogenous
Pre-existing upper respiratory tract infection.
Pre-existing chronic tonsillitis.
Postnasal discharge due to sinusitis.
Residual tonsillar tissue after tonsillectomy.
General lowering of the resistance.
Exanthemata.
Blood dyscrasias: Very low resistance due to diseases like agranulocytosis, leukaemias or Hodgkin's disease may cause gangrenous tonsillitis.
(B) Exogenous
Ingestion of cold drinks or cold foods may directly cause infection or lower the resistance by vasoconstriction.
Contagion: The infection may be contacted from other individuals having infection.
Pollution and crowded ill-ventilated environment.
Imbedded foreign boddy.
Causative Organisms: Usual respiratory gram positive cocci like streptococcus, staphylococcus, pneumococcus and diptheroid organisms are responsible. Of these, Haemolytic streptococcus has a special predilection for the tonsils. It may be a viral infection.
Chronic tonsillitis
It is similar to that of acute tonsillitis.
Symptoms
Acute Tonsillitis
Raw sensation in the throat is often the first symptom.
Pain in the throat occurs which is aggravated by swallowing. It may be referred to the ears.
Refusal to Eat: Children may not complain about pain in throat, but may refuse to eat because of odynophagia.
Voice may be thick and muffled due to thick secretions and impeded movements of the palate.
Jugulodigastric Nodes may be enlarged and painful.
Constitutional Symptoms like malaise, fever, headache and tachycardia may be present.
Duration of acute tonsillitis is usually 4 to 6 days.
Chronic tonsillitis
Recurrent pain in throat may occur due to attacks of acute tonsillitis. The interval between the two attacks can vary.
Cough is often present.
Halitosis may be present due to the cheesy material in the tonsillar crypts.
Quiescent Phase: The patient may have vague discomfort in the throat with irritation and pain. Often the patient is completely asymptomatic in this phase.
Treatments
Acute or chronic tonsillitis, homeopathy removes the infection caused and the recurrent tendency to it. The recurrent infection, pus formation, fever episodes are completely cured by this system of medicinal therapy. Acute and chronic medicines act on acute and chronic conditions respectively.
Homeopathic Medications which help in such patients are merc sol, hepar sulph, Silicea, etc.
