Tonsil growths - what can I do?

Our daughter has labyrinthitis

Question

My daughter has cauliflower like growths on her tonsil.

I took her to the doctors and was told it was pus and not to do anything unless it got painful. It has now moved from the tonsil to the back of her throat and seems to bother her more than hurt.

I have noticed she has dark circles under her eyes but is still fairly happy although she has complained of a headache recently. I have never seen anything like this before; do you have any ideas?

Answer

Without being able to see the 'cauliflower-like growths' on your daughter's tonsil I can't be certain what they are due to but one of the most likely explanations is that they are collections of pus caused by a tonsillitis infection.

Tonsillitis is most common between the ages of three and eight, although it can occur at any age. The infection can be caused by either viruses or bacteria and it is impossible to tell which is responsible just by looking at the throat, which is a shame because it makes it difficult to know what would be the most appropriate treatment for any particular individual.

Bacterial tonsillitis may respond to penicillin whereas viral tonsillitis will not. Another possible cause of pus on the tonsils is glandular fever – this is also caused by a virus and antibiotics don't help the infection to clear up.

If your daughter did not have a very sore throat or seem particularly unwell when you took her to your GP's surgery, the doctor probably thought there was a fair chance that the infection was due to a virus and so did not advise treatment with penicillin.

Initially with many cases of tonsillitis it is reasonable to just give paracetamol or an anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen, to try and ease discomfort in the throat and help bring any fever under control.

However, if instead of gradually getting better your daughter is becoming more unwell, it would be worth taking her back to the doctor so she can be re-examined and a decision made as to whether she should be given any additional treatment.

Yours sincerely

The Medical Team

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