PERITONSILLAR ABSCESS ASSOCIATED WITH INFECTIOUS-MONONUCLEOSIS

Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is characterized as a viral disease; thu s, no antibiotic treatment is recommended. However, some of these pati ents tend to develop a long-lasting, painful disease, which can be rel ieved by antibiotic administration. Due to this bed-side knowledge, we re-evaluated 928 patients with peritonsillar abscess (PA), treated du ring a 5.5-year period in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Tur ku University Central Hospital. Of these patients 15 (1.6%) also had i nfectious mononucleosis (IM). During this period, 64 patients with sev ere pharyngeal IM were treated in our department and thus the proporti on of PA in patients with IM was 23.4%. A control of 15 age- and sex-m atched patients with PA but without mononucleosis was formed in order to evaluate the possible differences in patient history, clinical symp toms and findings. Such differences were small and did not affect the chosen treatment of PA, abscess tonsillectomy. There was no peri- or p ostoperative difference in complications or recovery, but the hospital ization time was longer in IM patients with PA (3.1 days) than in pati ents with PA only (2.4 days). IM patients referred to ENT departments make a special group of patients, who may also need surgical treatment .