The climatic factor in precipitating acute tonsillitis in children

Abstract

Summary The precipitation of acute tonsillitis in children most often takes place in the wake of a “cold front”, a time when the air temperature falls, the barometric pressure increases, and there is lessened humidity. At this time there is a change in the functional status of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. A latent period or “lag” of a few hours to one or more days may occur before the actual initiation of the clinical symptoms. Nineteen cases of acute tonsillitis in children, each child sufficiently ill to warrant hospitalization, are presented to illustrate the significance of the onset of the “cold front” in precipitating the disease.