How does chronic tonsillitis affects anxiety and depression?

Chronic/recurrent tonsillitis is a condition that affects the quality of life with symptoms such as pain, fever, halitosis, and so forth. However, the effect of this condition on depression and anxiety has not been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the complex relationship between chronic/recurrent tonsillitis and depression and anxiety in adult patients. The study included 60 female and 60 male patients and 25 healthy male and 25 healthy female controls, aged 18–40 years. The participants were made to fill out the Beck depression and anxiety inventories (BDI and BAI). Those who met the inclusion criteria were included. The averages and cutoff values of the total scores were investigated separately for males and females.
For both males and females, the averages of total BDI scores (P < 0.043 and <0.035, respectively) and total BAI scores (P = 0.019 and 0.027, respectively) were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1. This study was novel in exploring the relationship between chronic/recurrent tonsillitis and depression and anxiety in adults. The findings of this study might enhance the understanding on this subject and serve as a valuable guidance for the interested researchers.