Abnormal appearance of throat
Abnormal appearance
With a sore throat, the tonsils may swell and become red, and pus may appear on them as white spots. Symptoms typically get worse over two to three days and then gradually go, usually within a week. Often described as tonsillitis, this does not normally require treatment.
The presence of tonsillar exudate (pus on the tonsils – see below) may increase the likelihood of a bacterial infection and is one of the items that scores in FeverPAIN. However, exudate is sometimes seen with viral infections and sometimes the throat can appear almost normal without exudates in a streptococcal (bacterial) infection.
Tonsils often have white patches on them in healthy people. These are part of the lymphatic immune system and are sometimes called tonsillar crypts.
An important point is some people may not have tonsils. They may not volunteer this information so their absence on examination may be a surprise. Tonsillectomy has been a relatively common procedure until recent years. It is still possible to have a sore throat and potentially a bacterial infection after a tonsillectomy.
