Correlation between throat-related symptoms and histological examination in adults with chronic tonsillitis

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate correlations between throat-related symptoms and histological findings in adults with chronic tonsillitis.
Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out. Throat-related symptoms (complaints, tonsillitis rate, and pharyngeal findings) of 81 adults with histologically proven chronic tonsillitis followed by tonsillectomy were analyzed. Four types of histological changes in removed tonsils were determined: (1) pure hyperplasia, (2) chronic inflammation, (3) chronic inflammation with hyperplasia, (4) chronic inflammation with scarring/fibrosis. The power of correlation was tested using the Pearson contingency coefficient (CC).
Results: Recurrent throat infections were the most common complaint (74.1%). The mean tonsillitis rate was 3.6 (SD 1.9) episodes per year. Tonsillar cryptic debris (61.7%) and hyperemia of the anterior pillars (59.3%) were the most common pharyngeal findings. Chronic inflammation with hyperplasia was predominant (38.3%) histological type of chronic tonsillitis. The statistically significant correlations between histological type and combination of tonsillitis rate ≥3 times per year with cryptic debris (CC = 0.346; P = 0.010) and cryptic debris alone (CC = 0.294; P = 0.051) were detected.
Conclusions: Assessment of throat-related symptoms is complementary to histological examination in adults with chronic tonsillitis.