The most common symptoms of tonsillitis include chills, fever, muscle aches, headache, coughing, difficult and painful swallowing and a severe sore throat. Its visual symptoms can include cases of neck, face and eyes swelling and swollen tonsils that may show a purulent exudative coating of white patches caused by pus.
Some of the symptoms of tonsilitis can be similar to symptoms found in glandular fever (mononucleosis). Typical mono symptoms are severe sore throat (with patches of pus), enlarged lymph nodes, enlarged spleen, appetite loss and fatigue.
The symptoms of tonsillitis may differ from person to person. Bacterial tonsillitis can exhibit a flushed face and skin rash. Viral tonsillitis will have flu-like symptoms such as pains and aches all over the body and runny nose. When treatment is given it usually takes two or three days before the symptoms improve.
Acute tonsillitis whether caused by virus or bacteria will have symptoms like fever, sore throat accompanied by drooling, bad breath and ear pain when swallowing. This type of tonsillitis can turn the color of the tonsil into a grayish-white or bright reddish coating. The neck lymph nodes may swell as well.
Strep throat is one of the most common types of acute tonsillitis that can be accompanied by ear infection, pneumonia and skin rash. Strep throat tonsillitis if left untreated can lead to damage to the kidneys and heart valves. Malaise and severe fatigue can be felt with the swelling of the adenoids and lymph nodes.
Chronic tonsillitis can be become a frequent condition which can then lead to the development of pockets or crypts in the tonsils that can be inhabited by bacteria. Small stones made of sulfa can accumulate within these crypts that are quite malodorous. They can be symptomatic of a throat with something caught in its back. A foul breath is caused by the sulfa accumulation on the crypts.
Some other symptoms that tonsillitis can cause include irregular sleep patterns and snoring. These happen when the swollen tonsil starts to block the other areas of the throat. The patient’s voice may be also affected making his voice hoarse if the diseased throat is used too much. Other rare symptoms that tonsillitis can bring include cotton mouth, headaches, difficulty opening the mouth, a tongue that feels fuzzy or furry, constipation and vomiting.