Tonsils are the two lymph nodes located on each side of the back of your throat and their counterparts, the adenoids, are located just behind the nose. You can’t easily see your adenoids, but they’re found in the upper part of your nasal cavity. They function as a defense mechanism and help prevent your body from getting an infection. When tonsils become infected, the condition is called tonsillitis. Tonsillitis can occur at any age and is a common childhood illness.

Both your tonsils and adenoids help to trap pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses, that enter your mouth or nose. They contain immune cells that produce antibodies that kill these pathogens before they can spread to the rest of your body.

When enlarged, the tissues can block the airway and cause sleep-disordered breathing, or sleep apnea. Both could also become a source of ongoing infection. Because tonsils and adenoids may shrink over time, the troubles are temporary for some children. For others, surgery may be required to remove them.

If your child has tonsillitis, they may have some of the following symptoms:

• A sore throat
• Difficulty swallowing
• Tender lymph nodes (glands under the jaw)
• Pain in their ears (usually referred pain, but the ears should be checked by your GP as there may also be a middle ear infection)
• Fever

When Should a Child’s Tonsils Come Out?

Few absolute criteria for tonsillectomy exist other than blockage severe enough to cause a lack of oxygen in the body and cardiopulmonary changes. The following may indicate the need for a tonsillectomy:

• The child has a severe sore throat seven times in one year, or five in each of two years, or three in each of three years.
• The child has a throat infection severe enough to cause an abscess, or an area of pus and swelling, behind the tonsils.
• The child has a case of tonsillitis not helped by antibiotics.
• The child’s swollen tonsils and adenoids impair normal breathing.