Tonsils are lymphatic tissue situated at the back of your throat. Tonsillitis is an infection of your tonsils. Tonsillitis, if untreated, can lead to complications. The complications of a tonsil infection are an abscess, sleep disturbances and--rarely--complications involving the heart and kidneys.
Sleep Apnea
Large tonsils can block your breathing passages and lead to a condition called sleep apnea, according to Mayo Clinic. You will have blocked airway, which will result in difficulty breathing. Sleep apnea leads to snoring, mouth breathing and sleep disturbances.
Dehydration
A severe tonsil infection can leave you dehydrated, according to the National Institutes of Health. Tonsillitis causes pain and difficulty while swallowing. This can then cause a decrease in intake of fluids and subsequent dehydration.
Abscess
If tonsillitis is untreated, it can result in a peritonsillar abscess. This is a collection of pus between the tonsil and the surrounding soft tissues. It is the most common complication of an acute tonsil infection, according to Baylor College of Medicine. An abscess occurs on one side of the throat resulting in severe throat pain, fever, drooling, difficulty in opening your mouth and a muffled voice. The abscess can be treated using antibiotics. Sometimes your doctor will do a small operation to drain the pus.
The abscess can spread into the bloodstream, neck spaces and chest, according to Mayo Clinic. The bacteria can multiply in the bloodstream resulting in infection of blood. The bacteria from the bloodstream can travel to your lungs, bones and joints. This can be treated with antibiotics and is fatal if not diagnosed, according to National Health Service.
Infection of Blood Vessels
The infection rarely spreads from the tonsil, but when it does, it can infect the major vein in the neck. This can cause you to have high fever, chills, pain and stiffness in the neck. The infection of the veins has to be treated with antibiotics and an operation to drain the pus and remove the infected veins.
Rheumatic Fever and Nephritis
The bacteria, which cause tonsillitis called streptococcus, can also cause infection of the heart. The most serious complication of tonsillitis involving the heart is called rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can damage the valves of the heart and presents as fever with painful, swollen and stiff joints and heart problems, according to Healthline.com.
The streptococcal bacteria can also cause inflammation of your kidneys called nephritis. These infections used to be common in earlier days, when antibiotics were not used to treat the infection, but are rare now.
Ear and Sinus Infections
An infection may arise in the middle ear resulting in accumulation of pus in the middle ear. This is called otitis media. The infection from tonsils can spread to your sinuses resulting in sinusitis.
