Quite often, at an appointment with an otolaryngologist, patients ask the question of what adenoids and tonsils are. Patients are also interested in the differences between these concepts. Both tonsils and adenoids are accumulations of lymphoid tissue, they are united by the collective term "tonsils". These organs are included in the so-called Pirogov-Valdeyer ring (pharyngeal lymphoid ring). The difference between glands and adenoids lies in their location.
What are tonsils?
Lymphoid tissue consists of cells that perform a protective function - lymphocytes. Almost all bacterial and viral agents enter the human body through the nasopharynx. Tonsils stop infections, prevent their further penetration into the body, thereby participating in the processes of the immune system.
The glands are paired organs and are located in the oropharynx, one on both sides. With frequent colds, they increase significantly in size, this is due to their intense fight against infection. The overgrown organs are called hypertrophied, and the inflammation that occurs inside them is called tonsillitis.
If a staphylococcal or streptococcal infection enters the body, an acute inflammatory process begins in the glands, it is customary to call it a sore throat.
What are adenoids?
Unlike tonsils, adenoids are unpaired tonsils located in the nasopharynx. With the frequent penetration of foreign pathogens into the human body, adenoids also grow. When referring to the hypertrophy of these tonsils, doctors use the diagnosis "adenoid vegetations".
Adenoids in the human body perform a protective function, which is to fight bacteria and viruses inhaled with air and passing through the nasal passages.
In the presence of an inflammatory process in this organ, we can talk about a disease such as adenoiditis.
Basic information about adenoids
The pharyngeal tonsil is located in the nasopharyngeal fornix and, together with the lingual, palatine and tubal tonsils, forms a lymphadenoid ring.
A routine examination is not enough to examine the adenoids. In this case, it is necessary to use specialized tools.
Adenoid hypertrophy processes more often occur in childhood, mainly between the ages of three to eight years. Adenoids grow due to the influence of unfavorable factors that provoke inflammatory processes of the nasal mucosa and, accordingly, tonsils. These include influenza, acute and chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
Diagnostic measures
The following methods are used to examine the adenoids:
Examination of the nasopharynx area using fingers: the specialist will receive a minimum of information, but this method will help determine the density of the adenoids.- Research using radiography: involves a more detailed examination, a significant disadvantage of which is the radiation exposure to a person.
- CT: a safe and quite informative method, it belongs to the category of expensive examinations.
- Endoscopy: Checking takes place through the nasal passages and the oral cavity. The procedure is performed using a flexible endoscope, which is safe and low-traumatic. This method is used to examine babies.
- Posterior rhinoscopy: a common method for examining adenoids, which consists in examining the tonsils with a special speculum. Since the otolaryngologist studies the adenoids through the oral cavity, it can be difficult to carry out such an examination of mobile babies.
Examination of the nasopharynx area using fingers: the specialist will receive a minimum of information, but this method will help determine the density of the adenoids.Inspection of the adenoids through the nasal passages without appropriate devices will allow you to see only the surface of the organ.
What is the difference between adenoids and tonsils when viewed? The tonsils can be examined with the patient's throat open, without any additional examination methods.
Symptoms for inflammatory processes
When foreign pathogens enter the human body, an inflammatory process of the nasopharyngeal tonsil, which is called adenoiditis, develops. Usually the disease proceeds on its own, but in some cases it is accompanied by inflammation of the palatine paired tonsils. The course of adenoiditis can be acute, subacute and chronic.
The clinical picture is characterized by nasal congestion and increased body temperature of the patient. Sometimes purulent and mucous contents are released from the nasal passages, a dry cough appears.
With inflammation of the palatine tonsils, a person feels pain in the area of their location. Unpleasant sensations are of a different nature: from minor discomfort in the throat to severe cuts that interfere with normal conversation.
The glands are most often inflamed due to the ingress of microbes, viruses and fungi into the nasopharynx. The most common disease of the tonsils is considered to be tonsillitis, which occurs in acute or chronic form.
Acute tonsillitis
Angina is an infectious disease with a lesion of the tonsils, which is characterized by a severe clinical picture. The cause of the inflammatory process is the penetration of various foreign agents into the human body or mixed infections.
Tonsillitis of an acute nature can occur as a concomitant disease in some pathological processes in the blood, as well as in various diseases of an infectious nature, for example, with scarlet fever, diphtheria and others.
The factors that contribute to the development of angina include a seasonal decrease in immunity, the presence of chronic foci of infections, hypothermia, excessive psychological stress.
The disease usually develops according to the following scenario: painful sensations appear in the throat, which intensify at the time of eating, temperature indicators increase, a feeling of weakness, headache, a state of chills, aches throughout the body.
Often there is an increase in regional lymph nodes, which are easily palpated. The palatine tonsils become edematous, covered with a bloom of white, with a viral sore throat - with small bubbles.
In each patient, the symptoms of angina have minor differences. The manifestation and course of the disease depends on the pathogen, the general condition of the body, and the performance of the immune system. The main symptom present in all cases is intense pain on one or both sides in the throat.
The clinical picture in chronic tonsillitis
Chronic tonsillitis is characterized by a significant decrease in the protective functions of the glands, which are foci of a sluggish infection.
Tonsillitis becomes chronic with improper therapeutic actions aimed at combating angina, reduced performance of the immune system, in people with an unusual structure of the glands of a congenital nature.
Patients with chronic tonsillitis suffer from periodic exacerbations of the disease, alternating with a state of remission. With an exacerbation of the disease, the symptoms completely coincide with the manifestations of acute tonsillitis. A feeling of discomfort in the throat is characteristic of remission.
The main symptoms of chronic angina:
- perspiration in the area of the tonsils, a feeling of dryness;
- increased irritability, feeling tired;
- a slight increase in body temperature;
- painful sensations in the joints and heart area (occasionally).
Chronic tonsillitis can cause the onset of pathological processes in various organs and systems of the body, provoke the development of endocarditis.
Therapeutic measures for inflammatory processes of the tonsils
The most important thing in the fight against any ailment is to diagnose the disease in time. And for diseases affecting the tonsils and adenoids, the main treatment will be the use of drugs to increase the body's resistance. They can be used for prophylactic purposes and to prevent the spread of pathogens during inflammatory processes that have already arisen.
In this case, the doctor may prescribe a complex of vitamins, immunomodulating and immunostimulating agents. You can also use a variety of herbal drops to reduce inflammation and fight germs.
Treatment of angina involves the use of antibiotics, the group of which will depend on the sensitivity of foreign pathogens. In acute tonsillitis, the causative agent of which is fungal spores, drugs with antifungal action are used, since antibiotics are ineffective.
Rinsing of the throat is considered an obligatory item in the treatment, which can be started at the first sign of discomfort in the throat area.
For inflammatory processes of the adenoids, nasal drops are used, but only after consulting an otolaryngologist. Usually, drops are prescribed that have a vasoconstrictor effect, as well as drugs that reduce the secretion of mucous glands. Plant-based oil drops have an additional healing effect.
In what cases is surgical intervention performed?
With frequent inflammation of the tonsils, when the disease becomes chronic and does not respond well to the usual drug therapy, surgical intervention is recommended. During the operation, the tonsils and adenoids are removed.
The main indications for surgical intervention are frequent tonsillitis, recurring five to six times a year.
In modern medicine, cryodestruction is widely used (it is used much more often than the classical invasive method), which allows you to reduce the tonsils without completely removing them. If the tonsils and adenoids are cut out completely, this negatively affects the human immune system.
