Acute tonsillitis

Acute tonsillitis is a nonspecific acute inflammation of the palatine tonsils, often accompanied by a certain degree of acute inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa and pharyngeal lymphoid tissue. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is referred to as "ru e", "hou e", or "lian fang e". Acute tonsillitis commonly occurs in children and adolescents. The main pathogenic bacteria are beta-hemolytic streptococci, staphylococci, and pneumococci. Adenoviruses can also cause this disease. When the body's resistance is suddenly reduced due to factors such as cold, dampness, overexertion, physical weakness, excessive smoking and alcohol consumption, or irritation from harmful gases, bacterial proliferation is enhanced. Sometimes it is a prodromal symptom of acute infectious diseases, such as measles and scarlet fever. Acute tonsillitis can also be divided into acute catarrhal tonsillitis and acute suppurative tonsillitis. The pathological changes in acute catarrhal tonsillitis are generally mild, mainly involving inflammation confined to the surface mucosa, while the tonsils themselves show no significant inflammation. In acute suppurative tonsillitis, upon examination of the tonsils, obvious enlargement is found, with the crypts filled with desquamated epithelium and suppurative cells, accompanied by marked exudate. When this disease occurs, obvious systemic symptoms appear, such as fever and chills, with body temperature generally ranging between 38°C and 40°C. Sometimes it can also cause difficulty turning the head and swelling of the submandibular lymph nodes.