Surgery to remove tonsils and adenoids often seem like a healthy decision, but a new study suggests that this might backfire in a big way.
What Is The Link Between Tonsils And Illnesses?
Researchers discovered that the removal of tonsils and adenoids in childhood often increases the risk of allergies and other upper respiratory tract illnesses. A child who has a tonsillectomy was three times more likely to get diseases in the upper respiratory tract, such as asthma and pneumonia.
The findings were published in a study on June 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.
"We calculated disease risks depending on whether adenoids, tonsils or both were removed in the first nine years of life because this is when these tissues are most active in the developing immune system," said coauthor Dr. Sean Byars.
Children often get tonsils removed to prevent reoccurring strep infections, and the adenoids are removed to improve breathing. However, tonsils and adenoids act as the first line of defense against bacteria and viruses from entering the lungs and throat. Without them, people are more vulnerable to diseases.
"For tonsillectomy, we found that only five people needed to have the operation to cause an extra upper respiratory disease to appear in one of those people," said coauthor Professor Jacobus Boomsma.
Patients who had adenoids removed experienced an increase of COPD and upper respiratory tract infections.
Researchers also found that the removal of adenoids and tonsils meant that patients were vulnerable to 28 other diseases, such as skin and eye diseases. This suggests a link between a weakened immune system overall as a result of these surgeries.
How Did Researchers Find This Link?
To find the link between these surgeries and the increased risk of illnesses, researchers analyzed data of children who had the surgeries and those who didn't. They examined data from roughly 1.2 million children born in Denmark between 1979 and 1999.
Within the data, they looked at the first 10 years of each child and data up to age 30. The first 10 years of life was chosen because that is when children develop their immune system. They noticed a big difference between those who had these surgeries and those who didn't.
Future Implications For These Surgeries
Although removal of the tonsils and adenoids could help with breathing and other health issues, the researchers believe that these kids are sacrificing their long-term health needs. They suggest that parents try to delay the surgeries until the child has reached adulthood. The researchers also suggest trying other alternatives at first before opting for the surgeries.
