Symptoms of suppurative sore throat

Symptoms of purulent tonsillitis - purulent tonsillitis - are signs of inflammation of the palatine tonsils, which is accompanied by the formation of purulent discharge from the mucous tissues of the tonsils and the wall of the pharynx affected by streptococci.

The first signs of purulent tonsillitis are a sore throat, redness of the tonsils and mucous membranes of the pharynx, and an increase in body temperature.

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Symptoms of purulent tonsillitis in adults

The main symptoms of purulent tonsillitis in adults, which can be lacunar, follicular, and phlegmonous, are the following:

• high body temperature (up to 38.5-39°C) with chills;
• red, swollen and loose-looking tonsils, redness of the back of the throat and uvula (lingual tonsil);
• purulent plaque and abscesses on the tonsils (purulent plugs), which increase in size and can spontaneously open;
• sharp pain in the throat, especially when swallowing, which is felt even in the ears;
• a state of general weakness, headache, pain in the muscles of the back and lower back;
• The regional submandibular lymph nodes are enlarged and painful to palpation.

If the tonsillitis is lacunar, then purulent inclusions are observed in the mucous membrane of the tonsils - accumulations of serous-purulent discharge in depressions (lacunae) located on their surface, which look like spots of various shapes. In addition, the purulent coating can be diffuse - on the entire surface of the tonsils.

Symptoms of purulent tonsillitis in the case of its follicular form, in addition to those already listed, include suppuration of follicles - special lymphoid cells of the tonsils, located both on their surface and in the depths. In fact, both lacunae and follicles have the same function - to retain pathogenic microbes, and during purulent tonsillitis they have a real "rush", as evidenced by all the symptoms of purulent tonsillitis.

So, follicles filled with pus look like small round abscesses (purulent plugs), which are clearly visible under the mucous membrane of the inflamed tonsils. According to otolaryngologists, the definition of lacunar tonsillitis and follicular tonsillitis is quite arbitrary, since with purulent tonsillitis, pus is formed in the lacunae and follicles, since both produce protective macrophages and lymphocytes. So in many cases, tonsillitis takes the form of lacunar-follicular.

Symptoms of purulent tonsillitis, diagnosed as phlegmonous:

• body temperature up to 39-40°C;
• weakness and chills;
• continuous hyperemia of the pharynx, including the lingual tonsil and palatine arches;
• purulent plugs on the surface of the tonsils;
• very severe pain in the throat, which makes it difficult to swallow and open the mouth;
• the pain radiates to the ear and lower jaw area;
• the lymph nodes under the lower jaw and on the neck are enlarged and painful;
• halitosis (bad breath);
• hypersalivation (excessive salivation).

These symptoms of purulent tonsillitis are associated with the development of phlegmonous (diffuse purulent) inflammation of the layer of tissue that lines the surface located behind the tonsil capsule. When the inflammation affects these tissues, acute purulent paratonsillitis is determined. The formation of a clearly defined purulent focus in the tissue near the tonsil (and sometimes the entry of purulent exudate into its capsule) is called a peritonsillar (intratonsillar) abscess. And it is considered a complication of purulent tonsillitis.

Symptoms of purulent tonsillitis in children

The symptoms of purulent tonsillitis in children are practically no different from the general signs of the purulent form of inflammation of the palatine tonsils. But since in a child, especially a small one, all inflammatory processes are more severe, it should be borne in mind that in children with this disease:

• there may be breathing problems, as the inflamed tonsils partially block the lumen of the larynx;
• inflammation of the middle ear (otitis) may begin, since pus coming out of the lacunae and follicles of the tonsils can enter the canal connecting the pharynx with the middle ear cavity (Eustachian tube);
• splenomegaly is possible - an enlargement of the spleen, which, like the tonsils, is an organ of the immune system;
• there may be vomiting and diarrhea due to streptococcal and staphylococcal intoxication of the body;
• Very often, children under three years of age experience non-specific reactions of the nervous system caused by general intoxication during infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract. This is the so-called meningeal syndrome, which is expressed in a reflex increase in the tone of the neck muscles (rigidity), convulsions, and short-term loss of consciousness.

The main thing for a pediatrician is not to confuse the symptoms of purulent tonsillitis in children with inflammation of the tonsils in scarlet fever (in this case, the throat and tongue will be bright red for four to five days). And also with monocytic tonsillitis, which appears as the first symptom of infectious mononucleosis, and tonsillitis in enterovirus infection, which occurs with a very high temperature and vesicular rashes on the mucous membrane of the tonsils.

Symptoms of purulent tonsillitis are quite sufficient grounds for making a correct diagnosis and prescribing treatment.