Table of contents:
- Causes of swollen tonsils
- 1. Acid reflux disease (GERD)
- 2. Smoking habits
- 3. Inflammation of the tonsils
- Do you need surgery for the swollen tonsils?
Have you had tonsillectomy? If so, how did it feel? Tonsil surgery is generally performed because of the inflammation that causes your tonsils to swell. But did you know that apart from inflammation of the tonsils, you can also experience swollen tonsils due to other causes? Here's the explanation.
Causes of swollen tonsils
The tonsils or tonsils are actually a collection of glandular tissues, which are located at the back of your throat. Protects the body from infections that will invade the body through the mouth, with the white blood cells that the tonsils have. The tonsils can also experience swelling. Swollen tonsils can occur for several things, including:
1. Acid reflux disease (GERD)
The food you eat, from your throat to your stomach, has to pass through a long tube of connection called the esophagus. This muscle in the form of a valve in the esophagus prevents the backflow of food from the stomach back into the throat.
However, when the valve in the esophageal muscle doesn't work properly, by blocking the way so food doesn't return to the throat, your stomach acid flows into the esophagus, then irritates the esophageal wall. This condition became known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
A study conducted by the American Academy of Otolaryngology revealed that acid reflux disease (GERD) can trigger swollen tonsils. This research was supported by Doctor Michael Friedman, who said that this enlargement of the tonsils could occur because stomach acid had the same effect as other causes of diseases on the tonsils.
2. Smoking habits
A study conducted in Colorado shows that there is a link between smoking behavior and enlargement of the tonsils. This condition is predicted to occur as a reaction from the tonsils to the chemical reactions contained in cigarettes.
3. Inflammation of the tonsils
Inflammation of the tonsils that you may have experienced. As mentioned above, the tonsils support the body's immune system by protecting the body from infection that will enter the body through the mouth. However, when the tonsils themselves are infected, they become inflamed, causing swollen tonsils.
This inflammation of the tonsils is known as tonsillitis. Symptoms that are usually shown when the tonsils are inflamed include fever, the onset of sore throat and pain when swallowing, and a reddish color.
Inflammation of the tonsils can occur due to several things, such as viruses and bacteria. The viruses that cause inflammation of the tonsils are the same viruses that cause coughs and flu. Meanwhile, the bacteria that cause tonsillitis are generally streptococcus bacteria.
Do you need surgery for the swollen tonsils?
Swollen tonsils that are starting to bother you will usually be treated with a tonsillectomy. Tonsillectomy is a medical procedure in the form of surgery to remove the tonsils whose presence they feel is annoying. Apart from swollen tonsils, a tonsillectomy will usually be performed if:
- You have tonsillitis five to seven times a year.
- You begin to have difficulty breathing.
- You often snore when you sleep at a loud volume.
- Your tonsils are bleeding.
- You have difficulty swallowing food, especially meat
- You have tonsil cancer.
