ACUTE AND CHRONIC FORMS OF INFLAMMATION BIOLOGY ESSAY

1328 WORDS

Katharine Buzzbee is a pleasant young girl of 9 years old. She was brought to the health center with complaints of sore throat with difficulty swallowing. Her mother states that Katharine has had similar symptoms three separate times this year. The illnesses begin with irritation in the throat that progress to pain. The pain radiates to her ears and she generally develops a fever during the course of each attack. The patient also has a history of developing frequent colds where she experiences headaches, a stuffy nose and frequent sneezing. Her older brother and sister have both recently had the common cold. The patient is otherwise healthy with no major illnesses or injuries.

Clinical manifestations: On examination, Katharine’s palatine tonsils are swollen, red and surrounded by exudate. She has a temperature of 101.1°F and complains of a “running nose” and headache. She appears tired and isn’t as energetic as in our previous encounters.

Diagnosis: acute tonsillitis. Throat culture confirmed strep. bacterial infection.

Etiology: Acute tonsillitis is generally caused by a viral infection1, most commonly caused by common cold viruses such as: adenovirus, rhinovirus, influenza, coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus. The Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus and HIV occasionally manifest as tonsillitis.

The second cause of acute tonsillitis is bacterial1 (about 30% of patients). The common bacterium is group A Beta hemolytic streptoccal. Other strains of bacteria are less common. The patient listed above has this type of infection.

Pathogenesis: virus or bacteria attacks tonsil tissue exiting the response of innate immunity and adaptive immunity of T and B cells contained in the tonsils. The lymphocytes fight the infection, which leads to inflammation. As long as the lymphocytes and other cells can weaken the virus/bacteria the damage to the cells within the tonsils will remain reversible.

Treatment: 10-day course of oral penicillin2, rest and hydration.

Prognosis: symptoms should resolve during course of treatment. If frequent onset of tonsillitis continues tonsillectomy may be recommended.

Inflammatory response