Palatine tonsils: inflammation, hypertrophy.

Palatine tonsils are clusters of lymphoid tissue, located on the sides near the entrance to the pharynx. The main component of lymphoid tissue is loose connective tissue, which contains immune cells, which consist mainly of lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are the basis of cellular and humoral immunity. Infectious agents are destroyed by immune cells. Antibodies bind to the pathogens of the infection and remove them from the body. Infection penetrates deep into the tonsils through the gaps - lacunae. Healthy palatine tonsils do not allow bacteria and viruses to enter the body. However, many people periodically have inflammation of the tonsils, called angina.

Angina, or acute tonsillitis, is an acute infectious disease, in which palatine tonsils are primarily affected by inflammation. The causative agents of angina are often various wands, viruses, fungi, as well as streptococci and staphylococci.

Sources of infection can be sick people or objects after using sick people. Especially strong isolation and spread of infection produce coughing and sneezing. The main varieties of angina are follicular, catarrhal and lacunar.

The common symptoms observed with all angina are headache, general weakness, pain when swallowing, sometimes joint pain. Almost always there is a fever, in some cases it can be very high. Very often there is chills. Lymph nodes, cervical and submandibular nodes increase and hurt on both sides. With close contact you can get sick from the patient and purulent angina. After the transferred viral diseases the pathogenic bacterial microflora is activated.

Hypertrophy of the tonsils is their increase. This disease is most often found in children of early and middle age. The causes are frequent repeated tonsillitis. Also, hypertrophy can be congenital and manifest as a congenital hyperplasia of the lymphadenoid tissue.

Hypertrophy can cause a violation of breathing and speech, interferes with the normal intake of food. A sharp disruption of respiratory function occurs when adenoids are enlarged simultaneously with tonsils . There is a violation of sleep, at night there is a cough and snoring, possibly the emergence of neuropsychic disorders.

Diagnosis of this disease is not particularly difficult. There are methods to determine the degree of hypertrophy of the palatine tonsils. A conditional horizontal line is drawn from the tongue-and-tongue arch along the edge of the tongue, and a vertical line passing through the middle of the tongue. The distance between the lines is mentally divided into three equal parts. There are three degrees of hypertrophy: at 1 st degree, the amygdala increases by 1/3 the distance, at the 2 nd degree - by 2/3, at the third degree the gap disappears and the contact of the tonsils occurs.

Treatment of hypertrophy is performed depending on the clinical symptoms. At 2 nd or 3 rd degree, when the increase in palatine tonsils causes a breathing disorder, speech, in this case, they are partially removed. With this removal (tonsillotomy), parts of the tonsils protruding beyond the palatine arch are cut off. This operation is performed in most cases by children aged 6-8 years. It is usually performed on an outpatient basis and requires the systematic observation of the patient before healing. The operation is carried out in a sitting position using local anesthesia.

Very often, along with hypertrophy of the tonsils, adenotomy is diagnosed. In this case, there is a simultaneous removal of tonsils and adenoids - tonsillotomy and adenotonzillotomy.