2 Year Old Having Red Lines On Tonsils. Suffers From Frequent Sinus Or Ear Infections. Cure?

Posted on Fri, 13 Jul 2012

Question: My 2 year old has red lines on his tonsils. They almost look like cuts. He is not having any other obvious symptoms. What should I do? I hate to take him to the doctors office as he often gets sick there, and we are going out of the country in 2 days. He has sinus or ear infections almost every month and has been on antibiotics 7 or 8 times since November.

Answered by Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (30 minutes later)

Hi,

Thanks for your query.

The redline if are not perfectly straight , could be dilated blood vessels due to inflammation due to tonsillitis.

Regular gargling or washing mouth with antiseptic solution like Chlorhexidine and steam inhalation with eycalyptus can reduce the severity and prevent the recurrence.But I feel there is a need for detailed examination to rule out underlying conditions like cystic fibrosis, vasculitis etc which can present with recurrent Upper respiratory tract infections.

You can now give him steam inhalation and make him wash his mouth with Chlorhexidine, this will certainly help.

Wish you good health.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (26 minutes later)

Would it be appropriate to wait to see doctor until after vacation? Does tonsilitis clear on its own? (Also, he tested negative for cystic fibrosis when a baby. Was having trouble thriving at young age.)

Answered by Dr. Dr.Raju.A.T (4 minutes later)

Hi again,

Thanks for writing back.

With remedies like Chlorhexidine I would say waiting could be a choice, but if you see any worsening of the condition then it would be very essential for him to be taken to the doctor.

Wish you good health.

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar