April 13, 2025, 6:05 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Children develop tonsillitis more frequently than adults. However, parents don’t always immediately recognize the illness. Here are the signs they should know.
Sore throat, a reddened throat, and difficulty swallowing: These can be early signs of tonsillitis in adults. In children, however, the illness may present differently.
Overview
Causes and Transmission of Tonsillitis
As the first line of defense against germs entering the respiratory tract, the tonsils are particularly susceptible to infections. Tonsillitis is caused by viruses and bacteria, such as cold and flu viruses like the rhinovirus or Epstein-Barr virus. In most cases, the bacteria involved are group A streptococci, leading to a purulent, highly contagious tonsillitis.
The pathogens are spread through droplets in the air when speaking, coughing, or sneezing. They can land on another person’s mucous membranes and multiply there, starting an infection.
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Why Children and Adolescents Are Particularly Affected
Children and adolescents are particularly often and recurrently affected by tonsillitis because their immune systems are not yet fully developed, and their tonsils are not fully formed until puberty. Since the tonsils act as the first line of defense, they are exposed to many viruses and become inflamed quickly and more often. Children and adolescents are also more susceptible to bacterial infections (from the mentioned streptococci) than adults. Tonsillitis is much rarer in adults.
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Tonsillitis – Symptoms in Young Children Parents Should Watch For
Bernhard Junge-Hülsing, an ENT specialist in Starnberg, says: In young boys and girls, it is more common for them to complain of stomachaches, nausea, and headaches.
They often feel generally unwell and may not want to eat because swallowing is difficult. It often only becomes apparent during an examination by a pediatrician that the child has tonsillitis.
In adults, symptoms like sore throat and difficulty swallowing indicate tonsillitis. Fever is also common. Read more about it here.
Is Tonsillitis Contagious?
When streptococci are involved, it leads to a purulent tonsillitis, which is highly contagious. The risk of infection decreases only when the patient is completely symptom-free. The disease spreads through droplet infections. With antibiotic therapy, one is no longer contagious 24 hours after the first dose.
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When Can Children Return to Daycare or School?
And then? “Tonsillitis usually heals without complications.” Children can return to daycare or school when their symptoms have completely subsided.
What to Do About Enlarged Tonsils?
By the way: In some cases, children’s tonsils are so enlarged that they touch in the middle. This can not only lead to breathing interruptions during sleep or swallowing difficulties. Jaw misalignments are also possible.
“This problem can be solved with a partial removal of the tonsils,” says Bernhard Junge-Hülsing. The procedure can be done on an outpatient basis with a laser. The advantage of partial removal: The remaining parts of the tonsils can continue to perform their important function of defending against pathogens that enter the body through the mouth or nose.
*With material from dpa