Tonsillectomy- Do Every Child Need it?
As we all miss going out for maintaining social distancing, we enjoy the weather and the autumn months. We are confident that our offices will be in a position to provide the same level of care and service to our patients, even if the COVID-19 pandemic is unpredictable. We have closely supervised the situation and set up additional health procedures to ensure the safety of our employees and patients as necessary.
Whether you still have or not your tonsils, you might know how popular tonsillectomies were in the early to mid-century. Nearly all children suffered from tonsils in those days. In many sitcoms and other popular media references to this omnipresent operation appeared.
When your doctor suggests that a tonsillectomy or an adenoidectomy may be necessary for your child, you wonder whether it is necessary. In contrast in the 1950s and 1960s, however, otolaryngologists today only recommend tonsillectomy for sore throat of your child. Our pediatric ENT experts at OKOA in OKC, only after careful examination and consideration in the medical history and the current symptoms of your child, will perform the operational removal of tonsils and adenoids.
What Are Adenoids and Tonsils?
Tonsils are a couple of tiny lymph nodes near your throat. To reduce the risk of infection, toxins and bacteria must be removed from the lymph system. However, it can cause recurrent sore throats when the tonsils themselves become infected — a condition known as tonsillitis. Tonsillitis may lead to strep throat, which can become scarlet fever, if left untreated.
The adenoids are a pair of drums resting right under your nose in the back of your throat. Adenoids are used to fight your body infections by producing white blood cells. If you have a frequent dull throat, you have adenoids that can make it difficult for your child to breathe, particularly at night.
Why Doctors Advise Tonsillectomies?
When your child develops tonsillitis, your tonsils no longer work well. Tonsillitis symptoms are as follows:
Tonsils reddened
Headache
Fever
Body aching
Severe pain in throat
Tonsillitis can also lead to an enlargement of your kid's tonsils which can make it hard to snake and snoring in the night. While just 1 episode of amygdalitis once led to an amygdalitis, doctors are now looking for other signs before choosing to undergo your child's operation. We recommend tonsillectomy for your child by a Pediatric ENT if you have:
Chronic neck diseases
Extended tonsils which prevent respiration or contribute to sleep apnea
An abnormal tonsil growth which could be a precursor to human papillomavirus (HPV).
Tonsillectomy is also recommended by the United States Academy of Family Practitioners (AAFP) where your child has:
Multiple antibiotics allergies or intolerance
PFAPA (i.e., periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenitis)
At least one abscess peritonsillar storey (pus-filled pocket near the tonsils)
Why the physicians recommend adenoidectomies?
It can cause obstructive sleep apnea when your child's adenoids get too large. If your child has OSA, they literally stop breathing at night during sleep. Apneas or respiratory pauses remove essential functions from your child's organs and can make your children feel restless and tired during the day.
If the adenoids in your child are enlarged and the pediatric ENT determine that they have OSA, an adenoidectomy can help you get the rest.
Sometimes the tonsils and adenoids of a child are simultaneously inflamed or enlarged. In such cases, you may recommend the removal of both tonsils and adenoids by a surgeon at OKOA. This can be the best option sometimes, because procedures are similar and the two non-vital organs are closely related. Take necessary steps without delay.
**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor's advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.