Purulent tonsillitis, which refers to acute purulent inflammation of the palatine tonsils due to bacterial infection, is a very common inflammatory disease of the pharynx. In acute purulent tonsillitis, there is severe pain in the pharynx, difficulty in swallowing, and increased sore throat when swallowing; it is also accompanied by symptoms such as high fever.
Type B hemolytic streptococcal infection, the main causative agent of acute purulent tonsillitis. Acute suppurative tonsillitis can cause many diseases in various systems of the body, commonly rheumatic fever, acute arthritis, myocarditis, and acute nephritis. Local complications can also occur, the most common of which are peri-tonsillar abscesses and acute otitis media. Acute suppurative tonsillitis often occurs on the basis of chronic tonsillitis, when the body’s resistance decreases, certain pathogens in the tonsillar crypt multiply and bacteria enter the tonsillar parenchyma, causing congestion and swelling of the lymphatic follicles in the tonsils as well as the occurrence of suppuration. In addition to the symptoms of acute purulent tonsillitis, there may be unilateral or bilateral enlargement of the lymph nodes in the angle of the jaw. Laboratory tests may show an increase in the total white blood cell count and neutrophil ratio in the blood.
For the treatment of acute suppurative tonsillitis, antibiotic application is the main treatment method, and the preferred antibiotic is penicillin or cephalosporin. In case of repeated attacks or complications, tonsillectomy should be performed after the acute inflammation is controlled.