Tonsillitis is a mild medical condition that often occurs in kids. Tonsils are the lymph nodes that are at the back of the throat.
These glands are active and well developed in children. The tonsils act as the first line of defence for kids. They filter out the germs by acting as the first line of defence.
Lymphs play a critical part in maintaining the immunity of the child. But, when the infection is too strong, the bacteria or virus may cause swelling in the tonsils which leads to tonsillitis.
When a child develops tonsillitis, then the first symptom that you get to observe as a parent is difficulty in swallowing and a small swelling on the neck of your child.
There is also a possibility of a throat infection in your child, so your doctor may have to examine your child to diagnose if it is tonsillitis or not.
So, the doctor may take the throat culture of your child and may test it for strep bacteria’s presence.
The presence of the bacteria may be detected at once and sometimes the sample may have to be sent to the lab which may take a day or two.
In this post, you would come across the symptoms, precautions, cures and prevention of Tonsillitis in toddlers.
Tonsillitis in toddlers
Tonsillitis in toddlers is very common nowadays.
Tonsillitis indicates that your child has been infected with a strong strain of either bacteria or a virus.
Your child’s doctor will put your child on antibiotics for about 7 days.
Symptoms of Tonsillitis to watch for
The following symptoms could be watched for in case of Tonsillitis:
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Sore throat
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No interest in eating
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Ear pain (The child keeps pulling ears throughout the day)
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Neck pain or Jaw pain
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Bad Breath and snoring while sleeping
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High fever with chills
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Pain in the throat
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Headache and drooling sensation
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Difficulty in talking and
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Swelling in neck on both sides of the throat.
Precautions and cures for Tonsillitis
The doctor may prescribe antibiotics to overcome Tonsillitis in kids. Antibiotics are needed to remove the infectious micro-organisms from the body completely. You should let your child take complete rest and may want to keep him busy with bed time stories or indoor games.
Tonsillitis is infectious and may pass on to other kids as well so you may want to keep your child away from other kids. Your child will complain of constant throat pain and hence you may choose to give your child some warm soup to soothe his throat.
You may also give some honey and lemon mixed in lukewarm water. This acts as a great comforting tonic for the kids. Honey coats the throat and gives a soothing feeling and the lemon cuts down the mucus of the throat.
The pain is very irritating and the child may experience constant discomfort. Place some warm pack or a warm water bottle on the neck and this will give a lot of comfort to your child. Dry air in the room can further dry off the throat and hence you should sleep with humidifiers in the room.
A good amount of humidity is always appreciated in the room. Make sure to change the water of the humidifier used every day to ensure that the water remains fresh without any infectious germs.
Make sure to cook smoke free food as smoke will irritate the throat of your child further. You can teach your child to gargle. Mix some salt in warm water and let your child gargle well. This will help to cure the infection soon.
If your child is grown up enough to not swallow the candies, then give some candies of his favourite flavour. It will help to boost up the salivation which will keep the throat wet and will comfort the child.
Is tonsillitis a severe medical condition?
Tonsillitis is a common occurrence in all kids and is not a matter of serious worry. But, of course you need to take good care of your child. Very rarely, if the condition remains untreated for longer than an abscess develops in the surrounding tissue around the tonsils.
But, this is a rarity as the disease gets diagnosed right at the onset with discomfort in your child’s throat.
Strep infection if remained untreated for very long may turn into rheumatoid fever also. It may result into many other heart problems but this is an extremely rare situation. Tonsillitis has a serious setback of resulting in dehydration.
The child refuses to swallow anything and hence dehydration may develop soon. You need to make sure that your child sips in small amount of liquid to stay hydrated.
What is Tonsillectomy?
Tonsillectomy is a common surgical procedure, used by physicians on toddlers suffering from severe tonsil infections that recur from time to time. The tonsil infection can lead to enlarged tonsils, or sleep-disordered breathing that needs immediate medical attention. The tonsils are two oval-shaped pads of tissue located at the rear end of the throat, which are removed by doctors in dire situations.
However, it is vital to note that this surgical procedure is only implemented on a doctor’s recommendation to treat rare tonsillitis problems. It becomes imperative to remove the tonsils when the toddler has a bleeding tonsil, rare diseases of the tonsils, or other complications related to enlarged tonsils. Parents need to follow the instructions from the doctor or hospital regarding medications, dosages, and the necessary preparation required before the scheduled surgery.
The recovery time of the toddler may vary between 7-10 days, they can resume their daily activity after this time. Parents can check with the doctor about the post-surgery diet, medications, or activity restrictions.
What are the Severe Tonsillitis Complications?
Tonsillitis infection in toddlers should not be taken lightly, tonsillectomy may be advised by doctors for critical yet rare tonsillitis complications in the tonsils. If the tonsils are suspected of malignant cancerous tissues, they need surgical removal. In some cases, a patient may complain of recurrent bleeding from the tonsils, this means the blood vessels near the tonsil need to be fixed with surgery. Sometimes bad breath, better known as halitosis, is associated with tonsils.
Where there is a disposition of debris in the cracks of the tonsil resulting in a foul smell, this rare tonsil condition is treated with tonsillectomy. Generally, this procedure is also useful to treat the problems triggered by an enlarged tonsil with infections, such as breathing issues or obstructive sleep apnea.
Prevention
If sore throat is a constant problem with your child, then you may find it difficult to keep your child healthy. You should encourage good hygiene standards in your child right from the beginning.
Make sure that your child washes hands frequently and avoids shared eating or drinking with other kids. Make sure that if one of your kid fall sick than he should be refrained from mingling with other kids. Also, ensuring good food and healthy eating habits will help to fight the infection.
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