A viral infection or bacterial infection, like strep throat, can cause tonsillitis. Most of the time, the condition resolves on its own. However, sometimes it can lead to complications that require medical attention. Some symptoms of tonsillitis can also resemble those of more serious conditions, like Ludwig angina or epiglottitis.
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If you have tonsillitis that doesn’t get better on its own with at-home management or seems to keep coming back, consult your doctor or healthcare provider to see if you need other treatment.
The most notable risk of tonsillitis is that it can cause you to get sicker and sicker, says James Clark, MBBCh, assistant professor of otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. “If you have a true bacterial infection in your tonsils, it works just like any other bacterial infection,” he says.
If bacterial infections do not go away on their own, they can continue to worsen and spread throughout the body. The risks of this are incredibly low, but it’s why you should see your doctor if tonsillitis does not clear up on its own in a week, Dr. Clark adds.
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Here are a few other complications that can result from tonsillitis. Note that they are more common in people who have tonsillitis repeatedly or when it becomes chronic.
