Tonsillitis

Flu complication: Tonsillitis

Why it occurs ⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾

Tonsillitis is when the tonsils at the back of your throat become red and swollen. You might sometimes also get painful swollen glands in your neck, white pus-filled spots on your tonsils or even bad breath.

Viral tonsillitis is caused by a viral infection, such as the flu virus, and is the most common form of tonsillitis.

Treatment ⁽³⁾

Antibiotics will not help viral tonsillitis. It usually has to run its course.

Symptoms will usually go away after three or four days.

In the meantime, get plenty of rest, drink cool drinks, take painkillers (check with your doctor first if you have other conditions) and try gargling with warm salty water.

Impact if untreated ⁽³⁾

Complications are very rare and mostly affect teenagers and young adults.

Sources
(1) http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Flu/Pages/Complications.aspx
(2) http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tonsillitis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
(3) https://beta.nhs.uk/conditions/tonsillitis/