how do you get tonsillitis?

[quaver]

this is the 2nd episode my ds has got tonsilitis and an ear infection within 4 months. He gets in so much pain little mite:(
I forgot to ask the dr this but how do you get it? what can i do to try and reduce the risk of him getting it so that it does not become frequent. ( he is 14 months)

[Chunkydunks]

Tonsillitis refers to the inflammation of the tonsils (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-tonsils.htm). It is usually caused by viruses or by bacterial infection. When viral infection is the cause, tonsillitis usually resolves without any treatment but rest, fluids, and pain medication (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-causes-tonsillitis.htm#) as needed.
Tonsillitis caused by bacterial infection is very frequently the result of strep bacteria (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-causes-tonsillitis.htm#). Tonsillitis caused by strep, or strep throat (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-strep-throat.htm), is usually accompanied by fever. The tonsils appear swollen and may be coated in a white infectious substance or have white spots. Sometimes strep throat can cause extreme headaches (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-causes-tonsillitis.htm#) and glands under the jaw may be swollen or sore.
Strep throat must be treated with antibiotics (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-antibiotics.htm). Lingering strep throat can progress to the very serious scarlet fever (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-scarlet-fever.htm) or to rheumatic fever (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-rheumatic-fever.htm), which can damage the heart. Strep is now often diagnosed within minutes at a doctor’s (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-causes-tonsillitis.htm#) office through a rapid strep test. Those who experience the above symptoms, especially extreme sore throat accompanied by fever, should not hesitate to see a doctor, as symptoms can be rapidly resolved with antibiotics.
Certain viruses can cause tonsillitis, and most are relatively minor and will resolve without treatment. However, tonsillitis accompanied by ache in the stomach, slight fever, and a feeling of extreme exhaustion may indicate mononucleosis (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-mononucleosis.htm) (mono). Though the primary treatment for mononucleosis is rest, some serious complications can arise from the illness. Those suspecting mono should see a doctor to rule out complications like an enlarged liver or spleen.
Occasionally tonsillitis is chronic and does not resolve on its own. Swallowing may become difficult with swollen tonsils. Breathing during sleep is also affected, causing snoring (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-causes-tonsillitis.htm#), premature waking and occasionally sleep apnea (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-sleep-apnea.htm), the cessation of breathing for a short period of time.
Chronic tonsillitis can sometimes be the result of allergies (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-causes-tonsillitis.htm#). In other cases, the tonsils simply do not recover well from viral infections or bacterial infections and sore throats can occur frequently. Frequent sore throats, defined as more than five a year, should be investigated for chronic tonsillitis. When breathing, swallowing or sleeping is impaired by tonsillitis, physicians may suggest removing the tonsils.
Some recent studies have indicated that tonsillectomies, once much more common than now, may result in behavioral changes in children. One clinical study performed tonsillectomies on children diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-hyperactivity.htm) disorder (ADHD (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-adhd.htm)), and chronic sore throats. This study found that tonsillectomies frequently resolved symptoms of ADHD. The possible cause for this appearance of symptoms suggests that lack of sleep due to tonsillitis may impact behavior and mimic ADHD symptoms.
Another recent study suggests that chronic tonsillitis may be the result of exposure to forms of the human papillomavirus virus (HPV (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-hpv.htm)). Approximately 30% of tonsillitis cases in a study conducted in Lithuania in 2004 were found to have HPV as well.



http://www.wisegeek.com/what-causes-tonsillitis.htm

Hope that answers your question.

[Electric Rodeo]

Poor little guy, it really is painful for them:hugs:
From experience with my DS who is 20 months, nothing I did helped him avoid it:(
He started gettin EI at 5 months, got them regularly (3-4 weeks) till 14months. Had grommets put in at 12 months and in 6 months has had 5 bouts of tonsilitis:(.
I BF him till he was 18-19months.
He avoided dairy.
That was about all I heard I could do to help.
He didn't even have to have a cold to begin with to start it off.
Hopefully it is not the start of a pattern for you and your DS.. Mine is having his taken out in 2 weeks. We are hoping that puts an end to his infections.
If there was a way to avoid it I'd be first on the bandwagon:)

[quaver]

thanks guys.
mitake- all the best in 2 weeks time. I really hope that it does not become a pattern. thanks for the advice, it is horrible! I have become a made cleaning nazi! but not sure it is having any effect.

[Penthesilea]

My 8 y o got her tonsils out last year - she is still getting throat infections and regularly needing antibiotics.

I'm thinking of seeing a naturopath to see how we can avoid further infections, because getting her tonsils out hasn't made any difference.

[Chunkydunks]

Just thought I'd add that DS used to get recurrent ear infections (all that sort of stuff is connected) and we'd take him to the chiro. Our chiro explained that if the neck is slightly out it can cause a blockage which can make little ones more seseptable to ENT problems. Since having the adjustments a few time (he'd usually get a free one when we were there cos the chiro liked the way he was so eager and would climb up on the bench no worries lol) the ear infections stopped. I'm a big advocate for chiro for ENT problems.

[Penthesilea]

Oh, and my daughter got recurrent ear infections. The dr said she needed grommets, but because she is older, we used otovent to clear her ears. Worked well. I had to ask the pharmacy to order it in. Worth a try - you can google to find out about it.

[quaver]

interesting. can you get natropath treatment for a 14 month old? I may look into both that and the chiro if it happens again soon.

[Chunkydunks]

I'm pretty sure you can get natropath treatments for little ones although we've never looked into it for DS. It would be just a matter of calling a centre near you and asking them a few questions.

[Electric Rodeo]

thanks guys.
mitake- all the best in 2 weeks time. I really hope that it does not become a pattern. thanks for the advice, it is horrible! I have become a made cleaning nazi! but not sure it is having any effect.

I can't hurt to be a cleaning nazi:), hopefully it is just a brief stage of being sick. I know lots of people don't like giving antibiotics but if you ds has them make sure you finish them off, I even give the repeat to make sure it's all gone.
My ds has had them so often they don't even make it up for us now, we get it in powder form:D, that and we live a fair way from gp/chemist.


My 8 y o got her tonsils out last year - she is still getting throat infections and regularly needing antibiotics.

I'm thinking of seeing a naturopath to see how we can avoid further infections, because getting her tonsils out hasn't made any difference.

:( how frustrating, I'd be interested to hear how you go with a naturopath, my MIL pushes it on me badly, which of course makes me very uninterested.(she is more than obsessed) I'd and like to hear from someone who isn't biased towards naturopathy like her.

[Electric Rodeo]

interesting. can you get natropath treatment for a 14 month old? I may look into both that and the chiro if it happens again soon.

Oh yes, my MIL had my DS1 booked in to see him at 6 weeks old, mind you he hadn't even been born at this stage, she wanted him to manipulate his neck to fix it from the birth he hadn't been apart of yet:(

I say you could easily get a 14 month old in.