How is tonsillitis treated? When should I seek help? There is no specific treatment for most cases of Not showing any improvement after 48 hrs Paediatric Department tonsillitis; these can help children feel better:- Being sick and not keeping down Information for Parents, Carers or Not able to drink and becoming dehydrated. Signs and Older children Drinking plenty of fluids include dry mouth, sunken eyes, not weeing much, Cold drinks, ice pops or ice cream being pale or drowsy Getting plenty of rest Not able to open the mouth or swallow sprays – you can buy these over the Drowsiness or not responding properly Tonsillitis counter. Ask for and follow the Rash that doesn’t fade when pressed on with a instructions on the spray. For children under 6 glass in Children years you will need to know their weight as 1 Seems very unwell spray is given for each 4kg of weight Do not worry if your child is not eating normally for a Lozenges for older children –over the counter few days, as long as they are able to drink liquids. Gargling with salty water for older children (mix Their throat will be sore and they may not feel half a teaspoon with 250ml (8oz) of water, hungry. gargle and spit)

Tonsillitis - Important Points Antibiotics Tonsillitis causes a , Research shows that antibiotics do not speed and difficulty swallowing recovery in most cases and can cause side effects. However, if a bacterial is Most cases will get better by suspected, antibiotics may be prescribed. The themselves within 1 week course is usually 10 days as shorter courses may Where can I find more information? Antibiotics do not usually make the not get rid of . is the usual www.nhs.uk/conditions symptoms go any faster first choice. It does not taste very nice so it may be difficult to get young children to take. Other Use pain relief, throat sprays or Who can I contact if I am worried? antibiotics have higher risks of side effects so it is lozenges to help Community Nursing Team: 01204 463939 best to try as hard as you can to get your child to (Patients with a Bolton GP only) take it. If bacterial infection is suspected and your child cannot take antibiotics by mouth (for We recognise that not everyone will find this Ask your GP for more information or for the document easy to read. We can arrange for large example if they are being sick), or they are not contact details of your local team print, audio tape versions and for summaries or getting better, occasionally antibiotics given explanations in other languages. F5 Ward – 01204 390715 through a drip may be needed in hospital. Please call 01204 390193 if we can help. E5 Ward – 01204 390405 IPG1830 Review 01/2019

Tonsillitis in Children

What is tonsillitis? What are the symptoms of tonsillitis? How can you tell what is causing tonsillitis? Tonsillitis is of the . It is A sore throat is the commonest symptom. This can It's difficult to tell just by looking at a child's usually caused by a viral infection or less make swallowing difficult. Others include:- throat whether they have a virus or a bacterial commonly by a bacterial infection. High temperature (fever) over 38 °C (100.4F) infection. There are four main signs that Coughing tonsillitis is caused by a bacterial infection rather The tonsils Headache than a viral infection. They are: The tonsils are two small glands that sit on either Feeling sick High temperature side of the throat. In young children they help Feeling tired White pus-filled spots on the tonsils fight germs and act as a barrier against infection. Pain in the ears No cough When the tonsils become infected they trap the Swollen, painful glands in the Swollen and tender glands in the neck infection and stop it spreading further into the Loss of voice or changes to the voice If there are 3 or more of these, it's much more body. Symptoms usually get better after three to four days likely to be bacterial and antibiotics are more As a child's immune system develops and gets and have usually disappeared after 1 week. likely to be prescribed. If there are 2 or less, stronger, the tonsils become less important and bacterial tonsillitis is less likely. A swab of the usually shrink. In most people, the body is able What causes tonsillitis? throat can confirm if it is bacterial. However as to fight infection without the tonsils. Removal of Viral tonsillitis results usually take 2-4 days, your doctor will the tonsils will usually only be recommended if Tonsillitis is most commonly caused by a virus. often make a decision based on how unwell your they're causing problems such as severe or Viruses that cause tonsillitis include the common child is. As most cases of tonsillitis will get better repeated episodes of tonsillitis. cold virus, flu viruses and the glandular fever virus. by themselves, it may be reasonable to wait for

Glandular fever results or to give a prescription for antibiotics for A virus called Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) can cause your child to start if the symptoms are not getting tonsillitis as part of glandular fever. This often better after a day or two. causes more severe symptoms including swollen glands, fever and tiredness. Glandular fever takes Is tonsillitis infectious? longer to get better and it will usually be 1-2 weeks Tonsillitis itself isn't contagious but the before symptoms settle. Tiredness may last several that cause it are. These types of infections weeks and occasionally lasts several months. spread easily, often by coughing or sneezing, so Bacterial tonsillitis it's important to try to avoid passing the infection Bacterial tonsillitis can be caused by a number of on to others by staying away from school or different bacteria. The commonest is a bug called nursery until the symptoms have passed. Make sure your wash your hands after caring for your group A streptococcus. child.