Risks of adenoids surgery in children

Adenoids are also called pharyngeal tonsils and adenoids. Under normal circumstances, adenoids can maintain the health of the body and play a relatively important role in the human body. However, when the body's resistance is reduced due to excessive fatigue, external stimulation or cold, the adenoids are more susceptible to bacterial infection and inflammation. If the inflammation persists for a long time, it will affect the patient's normal life.

Tonsils are lymphatic tissue in the pharynx and the most important immune organ in the oral cavity. They have a defensive effect against upper and lower respiratory tract diseases, and this effect is more significant for children and adolescents. During adolescence, the bone marrow function is not fully developed and the human body has a great demand for lymph. Therefore, in order to make up for the insufficient demand for lymphocytes, the tonsils develop more vigorously, producing more lymphocytes which enter the body fluids. Teenagers' tonsils can be appropriately preserved and not removed easily.

Tonsillectomy is suitable for repeated acute attacks of tonsillitis, excessive hypertrophy of tonsils, benign tonsil tumors, etc. The surgical methods are divided into stripping and squeezing. There may be complications such as bleeding and wound infection after surgery. So, what are the risks of having a tonsillectomy?

Tonsils are the largest lymphoid tissue in the pharynx. During childhood, it is an active immune organ that contains lymphocytes at various stages of development. Therefore, it has both humoral immunity and produces various immunoglobulins, and also has certain cellular immunity. The immunoglobulin IgA produced by tonsils has strong immunity and can inhibit the adhesion of bacteria to the respiratory mucosa, and can inhibit the growth and spread of bacteria. It also has a neutralizing and inhibitory effect on viruses. IgA can also enhance the function of phagocytes. These functions of the tonsils are most active when children are between two and five years old.

From an immune point of view, tonsils should not be removed casually because they have an immune effect on the body. Enlarged tonsils in children are a normal physiological phenomenon. If the enlargement does not affect breathing and swallowing and does not cause serious clinical manifestations, they should not be removed. Because resection may affect the local immune response and reduce the body's ability to fight infection. If tonsillitis recurs, interferes with breathing and swallowing, and causes diseases such as rheumatism and nephritis, it should be removed promptly. Generally, tonsillectomy for children should be performed after the age of four, and it is more appropriate to wait two to three weeks after the inflammation subsides.

(1) Participate in sports, conduct cold-resistance training, strengthen physical fitness, improve the body's responsiveness and resistance, eliminate all adverse factors, and perform desensitization treatment for allergic reactions.

(2) Timely and effective treatment of acute tonsillitis can prevent inflammation from turning into chronic inflammation.

In addition, time and countless experiences have proven that tonsillectomy is basically harmless, but surgical sequelae are common, such as adhesion of the tongue root, dry throat, compensatory hyperplasia of lymphatic tissue, etc. It is recommended to go to a regular large hospital for surgery.