What is the difference between tonsillitis and tonsillitis? Description of diseases and treatment features

With the onset of cold weather, many of us begin to suffer from colds, the first sign of which, as a rule, is a sore throat. What is the difference between tonsillitis and tonsillitis? Knowing the differences between these diseases is necessary in order to prescribe the right therapy. Otherwise, treatment will be ineffective and may further exacerbate the disease. By and large we are dealing with the same pathology, the only difference is that tonsillitis is its chronic form, and angina is acute. Because of the similarity of symptoms, many often confuse diseases with each other, but in reality tonsillitis and angina occur in different ways and need different treatments. What is the difference between these diseases?

Description of tonsillitis

Tonsillitis is an inflammation that affects the tonsils and the region of the okolothril ring. Its pathogens are bacteria and viruses. Basically it's streptococci.

Tonsillitis can occur in both acute and chronic forms. In most cases, the disease occurs in people with weakened immunity, as a result of hypothermia, stress and overwork. The inflammatory process can spread to one or more tonsils simultaneously, most often the palatines. Infection occurs by airborne droplets through sick people and carriers of the disease, in which there is no pronounced symptomatology.

Features of angina

What is the difference between acute tonsillitis and tonsillitis? Difference is not present, as an angina is a tonsillitis which proceeds in the acute form. The disease has an infectious nature and is accompanied by inflammation of the tonsils, the formation of purulent deposits and congestion.

Infecting angina can be both from a sick person, and as a result of infection from other sources. For example, it can be a chronic infection, the focus of which is caries, chronic diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses. If the sore throat is not cured in a timely manner or treated properly, it can lead to serious complications in the form of exacerbations of various systems and organs.

Angina can occur in various forms. Based on the nature of the defeat of the tonsils, distinguish catarrhal, follicular, necrotic, herpetic, lacunar, phlegmonous and fibrinous angina.

What is the difference between angina and chronic tonsillitis?

As already mentioned above, tonsillitis is acute and chronic. The acute form of tonsillitis is the sore throat. Chronic tonsillitis is accompanied by a protracted inflammatory process, which occurs in the pharyngeal tonsils. Chronic form of tonsillitis is a consequence of often recurring and untreated completely angina.

There are simple and toxic-allergic chronic tonsillitis. For simple chronic tonsillitis, there are local symptoms, for toxic-allergic - deterioration of the body as a whole, which is accompanied by lymphadenitis, complications of the heart, kidneys and joints.

Also provide compensated and decompensated chronic tonsillitis. In the first case, the tonsils are still able to cope with the infection and perform their protective functions. In fact, the compensated form of tonsillitis is a kind of "dormant" focus of chronic infection. Often such a disease passes unnoticed. It accompanies only a slight discomfort in the throat and a small accumulation of pus on the tonsils.

Decompensated chronic tonsillitis, as a rule, is accompanied by tonsillitis. In addition, abscesses and inflammatory diseases of the ear and nose often occur.

Symptoms of tonsillitis

What is the difference between tonsillitis and tonsillitis? The signs of both diseases are very similar, but they are not so pronounced in tonsillitis. The main of them are:

• Discomfort in the throat and pain when swallowing;
• Bad breath;
• Reddening and enlarged tonsils, presence of white coating;
• Temperature up to 38 ° С;
• nasal congestion;
• An increase in the cervical lymph nodes.

Symptoms of sore throat

In order to find out what is the difference between angina and tonsillitis, you need to know the characteristic of angina symptomatology. First of all, angina differs from tonsillitis with a brighter course. The presence of angina can be judged by the following signs:

• Acute sharp pain in the throat and difficulty swallowing;
• Body temperature can reach 40 ° C and often difficult to reduce;
• A strong inflammation and an increase in the tonsils, the appearance of a purulent plaque;
• Pain in the head and joints;
• Increased submandibular lymph nodes;
• labored breathing;
• Absence of nasal congestion;
• General weakness and malaise.

Depending on the cause of the disease, sore throat can both tell about yourself in the first days after infection, and manifest itself after five or more days.

Angina and tonsillitis: how to recognize?

Chronic form of tonsillitis is almost always accompanied by nasal congestion. In the case of angina, there is no such symptom. The pathologies under consideration are similar to respiratory diseases and influenza. In addition, they often flow in the same way. And yet, in order to find out what differs tonsillitis from angina, you need to know their characteristics. The main distinguishing feature of the ailments in question is the degree of symptomatology.

What is the difference between tonsillitis and tonsillitis? What is the difference between diseases? For angina characterized by acute and sudden pain in the throat, severe headache, aching joints, higher than at tonsillitis, fever, the appearance of purulent foci and plaque. The danger of acute tonsillitis is that as a result of the disease, not only the throat, but also other organs suffer. That is why after the end of the disease it is recommended to pass an analysis of urine and blood, and also check the work of the heart.

For those who are interested in the difference between tonsillitis and tonsillitis, it should be taken into account that tonsillitis is characterized by a sluggish course of inflammatory processes in the larynx. They can fade for a while, and then become aggravated again. In chronic tonsillitis is not always present elevated temperature, and the corks are not purulent, but curdled.

Treatment

All chronic ailments are known to cure is not so simple. Therefore, the first symptoms of a throat disease should be addressed to a doctor. Angina or tonsillitis, the main differences, varieties of diseases are well known to a qualified physician. Having determined the stage and type of pathology, he will appoint the right treatment. The exact diagnosis is necessary because the treatment of tonsillitis and tonsillitis is different. Either way, therapy should be based on eliminating the cause, not the symptoms.

How is angina treated or acute tonsillitis treated? When is an antibiotic needed? The doctor will tell about all this. Treatment of an acute form of tonsillitis (sore throat) is almost always performed on an outpatient basis. Only in rare cases it is necessary to resort to hospitalization and apply surgical treatment. Therapy of angina, as a rule, consists in taking anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antimicrobial agents. As a supplement to medicines, physiotherapeutic procedures, vitamins and therapeutic herbs for rinses are prescribed. In the most severe cases, antibiotics with a wide spectrum of action are prescribed.

Chronic tonsillitis is treated with antiseptics and immunomodulators. Biostimulators and antihistamines are also used. Antibiotics drink when there is a risk of complications.

Consequences of acute and chronic tonsillitis

In the presence of throat diseases it is important to understand that untreated tonsillitis can be very dangerous. First of all, its complications. The greatest threat is:

• Endocarditis, which is accompanied by destructive lesions of the inner membrane of the heart muscle and valve;
• Glomerulonephritis - kidney disease;
• Swelling of the throat;
• Inflammation of the lymph nodes;
• abscess;
• otitis;
• Rheumatism of joints.

It is also extremely important not to allow the spread of the infection along with blood to the brain, as a result of which meningitis may develop. For this ailment is characterized by inflammation of the meninges. It manifests as general weakness, shortness of breath, severe headaches, fever. The presence of signs of meningitis is a serious reason to call a doctor.

Conclusion

It should be understood that chronic tonsillitis is much more difficult to cure than sore throat. Therefore, it is so important not to allow the transition of the acute form of the disease to chronic and completely cure pathology. And in order for the therapy to be carried out as efficiently as possible, one must necessarily go to a medical institution.