Typical baby symptoms

The first symptom that parents often notice is a weakness in drinking and eating. Since the babies cannot yet express their symptoms in any other way, this is the only way to show the pain when swallowing. Furthermore, babies and toddlers are usually cranky and sickly.

However, this is also strongly dependent on the pathogen, since babies appear less ill with viral tonsillitis than with bacterial diseases. Usually the disease starts as a simple cold with cough and rhinitis and only develops into tonsillitis after a few days. There is a significant increase in fever and a worsened general condition.

The lymph nodes in the jaw area and neck are swollen. The most prominent symptom, however, are the palatine tonsils themselves. These are clearly swollen and reddened and, depending on the pathogen, covered with purulent coatings.

The children have severe pain, especially when swallowing, and in rare cases also difficulty breathing. In addition to tonsillitis, babies can also develop earache due to an inflammation of the middle ear. This becomes noticeable by frequently touching the ears and the lateral head.

Migration of the pathogens can lead to various other inflammations, such as pneumonia. Fever is a very unspecific symptom of many diseases and especially children develop fever quickly when they are ill. This is a natural defence mechanism of the body when it fights a pathogen.

In babies, a sudden increase in body temperature is often one of the first symptoms of tonsillitis that parents notice. A rapid rise with high fever is the most likely sign of a bacterial disease. Especially babies under three months of age and children with a weakened immune system should be presented to a pediatrician at an early stage if they have a fever.

Bacterial tonsillitis can lead to purulent coatings on the palatine tonsils. These are partly very pathogen-specific. Tonsillitis caused by the scarlet fever pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes leads to spot-like pus deposits on the tonsils.

The inflammation caused by diphtheria, which is rare in Germany today, leads to a flat deposition of pus. A complication of tonsillitis is a tonsil abscess, a purulent ulcer in various parts of the body.The pathogen can often be detected in pus, which is why the throat swab is important for the diagnosis of tonsillitis. Inflammation, both bacterial and viral, is rarely limited to a specific point.

This means that children often have not only tonsillitis but also other inflammations. This is due to the fact that in the head area there are connections between the different areas everywhere. This includes middle ear inflammation, which can lead to severe earaches.

In this case, the pathogen rises from the nasopharynx through the auditory trumpet into the middle ear, where it causes an inflammation. This can be recognized by the fact that babies often touch the head and ear with their hands. In addition to the treatment options already described, ear drops can be prescribed.

A further symptom of tonsillitis is an unpleasant odor coming from the mouth, which is particularly common in bacterial diseases. Somewhat older children also sometimes report a strange taste in the mouth. The bad breath can be controlled in older children with lozenges, which also relieve the pain.

With babies this is not possible because of the danger of swallowing. As with many colds, tonsillitis in babies also leads to increased mucus formation. This is a mechanical defence of the body to remove pathogens.

However, the increased mucus formation can cause breathing difficulties. Very small babies and premature babies are particularly at risk here, as their muscles are not yet strong enough to cough up the mucus. In bacterial tonsillitis, the mucus is often yellow to green, while in viral diseases the mucus is rather clear.

Breathlessness in babies is an acute emergency situation and should be presented to a doctor immediately. In the case of tonsillitis, respiratory distress can occur due to various mechanisms. Increased mucus production, which babies cannot yet cough up, can lead to shortness of breath. Another possibility, however, is the swollen tonsils themselves, as they can block the airways. If the baby develops a bluish skin or loses consciousness, the rescue service should be called directly.