In 82% of people, symptoms resolve within one week, regardless if bacteria or viruses were present. Antibiotics probably reduce the number of people experiencing sore throat or headache, but the balance between modest symptom reduction and the potential hazards of antimicrobial resistance must be recognised. Signs and symptoms
Those with tonsillitis usually experience sore throat, painful swallowing, malaise, and fever. Their tonsils – and often the back of the throat – appear red and swollen, and sometimes give off a white discharge. Some also have tender swelling of the cervical lymph nodes.Many viral infections that cause tonsillitis will also cause cough, runny nose, hoarse voice, or blistering in the mouth or throat. Infectious mononucleosis can cause the tonsils to swell with red spots or white discharge that may extend to the tongue. This can be accompanied by fever, sore throat, cervical lymph node swelling, and enlargement of the liver and spleen. Bacterial infections that cause tonsillitis can also cause a distinct "scarletiniform" rash, vomiting, and tonsillar spots or discharge.Tonsilloliths occur in up to 10% of the population frequently due to episodes of tonsillitis. Causes
Viral infections cause 40 to 60% of cases of tonsillitis. Many viruses can cause inflammation of the tonsils (and the rest of throat) including adenovirus, rhinovirus, coronavirus, influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, coxsackievirus, measles virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and herpes simplex virus. Tonsillitis can also be part of the initial reaction to HIV infection.
Prognosis
Since the advent of penicillin in the 1940s, a major preoccupation in the treatment of streptococcal tonsillitis has been the prevention of rheumatic fever, and its major effects on the nervous system and heart. Complications may rarely include dehydration and kidney failure due to difficulty swallowing, blocked airways due to inflammation, and pharyngitis due to the spread of infection.An abscess may develop lateral to the tonsil during an infection, typically several days after the onset of tonsillitis. This is termed a peritonsillar abscess (or quinsy). Rarely, the infection may spread beyond the tonsil resulting in inflammation and infection of the internal jugular vein giving rise to a spreading infectious thrombophlebitis (Lemierres syndrome).In strep throat, diseases like post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis can occur. These complications are extremely rare in developed nations but remain a significant problem in poorer nations. Epidemiology
Tonsillitis occurs throughout the world, without racial or ethnic differences. Most children have tonsillitis at least once during their childhood, although it rarely occurs before the age of two. It most typically occurs between the ages of four and five; bacterial infections most typically occur at a later age. Society and culture
Tonsillitis is described in the ancient Greek Hippocratic Corpus.Recurrent tonsillitis can interfere with vocal function and the ability to perform among people who use their voices professionally. References
Books cited

Dean-Jones L (2013). "The Child Patient of the Hippocratics: Early Pediatrics?". In Grubbs JE, Parkin T (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Childhood and Education in the Classical World. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199781546.013.005. ISBN 9780199781546. Ferri FF (2015).