What are the advantages and disadvantages of cutting tonsils?

Small tonsils are in our throats. If we look at the light, we can see two small tonsils, quietly staying in the main throat. Usually it probably won't attract our attention, but we can often hear the words "tonsillitis", especially in the cold winter. A little carelessness will bring us great pain. This troublesome little thing sometimes causes severe sore throat, snoring, easy to wake up when sleeping, or other adverse reactions.

What role does tonsil have?

Tonsils are an important part of human immune system. Its position and special tissue structure make it play a role in helping the whole immune system grow and stimulating children to produce antibodies. The specific role has the following aspects:

Protect respiratory tract and digestive tract from bacterial invasion;

Produce immune bodies resistant to bacterial infection;

Lymphocytes are produced and transported into the blood.

Why is tonsil inflamed?

Tonsils are the "natural barrier" of human body and the "first line of defense" against respiratory diseases. Once this line of defense is broken, it will in turn bring a lot of harm to the human body. For example, when a child has a cold or fever, the tonsils are often inflamed. If it is often inflamed repeatedly, it will hinder the toxin from being discharged from the tonsils and easily become a "lesion". This tonsil "focus" can also cause many systemic diseases, such as rheumatic fever, glomerulonephritis, rheumatic heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.

What's the difference between tonsils and proliferators?

Tonsils are small and round things that protrude slightly from both sides of the throat to stop and kill bacteria and prevent them from invading the lungs through the trachea. You can see your child when he sticks out his tongue and says "ah" or yawns. Another gland closely related to the tonsil is the proliferative gland, which is similar to the tonsil in structure and function. From the deep throat to the nasal cavity, the developed glands of lymph glands are called proliferators, which can only be seen through some special instruments.

How does tonsil get sick?

Tonsils are a bit like sponges. They have many holes and cracks. When attacked by bacteria and other microorganisms, it will become inflamed and swollen. In this way, it will lead to tonsillitis or other painful diseases, such as otitis media and sinusitis.

Tonsils and their similar proliferators are the immune organs of human body. Whenever we get sick, they will swell up and play an immune role. It takes about 3 to 9 months, which is a process of increasing and decreasing. In some extreme cases, the diffuser is enlarged and enters the nasal cavity, so that children can only breathe through the mouth. Hyperplasia can also make children have a heavy nasal sound when speaking, and it is also easy to cause middle ear infection, or press the auditory nerve outward, leading to hearing loss or deafness. Similarly, tonsil hypertrophy will bring some troubles, such as dysphagia. When tonsils and proliferators are enlarged, they will cause snoring during sleep, and it is easy to wake up during sleep.

What is the difference between tonsillitis and general sore throat?

Tonsillitis is a more serious disease with sore throat, which is caused by many different viruses and bacteria. Once the tonsils are inflamed, the throat will be red and swollen, and there will be pain when swallowing saliva, so your child may not even dare to eat. If the child's throat is facing the light, it will be obvious that his tonsils are covered with white, gray or yellowish things. Other symptoms of tonsillitis include: high fever, earache, hoarseness, dyspnea, physical fatigue, vomiting, and lymphadenopathy on both sides of the throat.

In contrast, a common sore throat is caused by viruses that cause colds and flu. The throat infections caused by these viruses generally do not last long and do not cause high fever. Just like other types of viral infections, you don't need antibiotics. The only thing we can do is wait, and it will be all right after a while. If the condition still doesn't improve after a few days, or it is accompanied by fever, then you need to see a doctor for sore throat caused by whatever reason. In addition, if your child refuses to eat or drink water, or drools all the time, then you must take your child to the hospital and ask a doctor to see if the tonsil inflammation area is too large for the child to swallow.

What is the best treatment for tonsillitis?

It all depends on whether the virus or the bacteria are getting stronger and stronger. First, the doctor will examine the child to determine whether the sore throat is caused by bacteria. If it is caused by streptococcus, then antibiotics are needed. If it is not caused by bacterial infection, it is probably caused by virus. In this case, the only treatment is to make the child feel as comfortable as possible, because there is no specific medicine available.

Does tonsil have a problem that can cause children to sleep and snore?

That's true. Snoring is the main symptom of tonsillar hypertrophy. If left untreated, it will cause obstructive apnea when the child sleeps. This temporary cessation of breathing will make the child sleep without oxygen. Then, the child's physical reaction is to wake up repeatedly during sleep, start breathing after waking up, sometimes breathe, sometimes blow your nose hard and then breathe. There is no doubt that being at such a low oxygen level and constantly waking up due to poor breathing will definitely make children tired and grumpy. In fact, some children are misdiagnosed as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder because they have many similar symptoms, such as abnormal irritability, aggression, irritability, inattention and so on.

So, what can be done to treat children's apnea during sleep? It should be tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. However, parents should clearly realize that not all causes of snoring need to be very vigilant. According to statistics, about 10% of snoring is usually caused by colds, allergies or other common diseases. Anyway, as long as you hear the child breathing loudly at night, you should go to the hospital to check his tonsils and proliferators. If the doctor doesn't confirm the diagnosis, then you can suggest that the doctor give the child a sleep test to see if there is apnea during sleep.

How can I conclude that my child's tonsils must be removed?

Usually this is a difficult decision to make. When the child's tonsils and hyperplasia are so large that they affect the child's breathing and swallowing, the doctor will recommend removing the child's tonsils. In addition, if the child suffers from chronic pharyngitis, tonsillitis, otitis media or leukocytosis and other similar diseases, antibiotics are obviously ineffective, then doctors usually recommend tonsillectomy. Generally speaking, tonsils should be removed under the following circumstances:

There are more than 5 cases of tonsillitis every year;

Tonsillitis complicated with other diseases, such as rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis or nephritis;

There is a history of abscess around tonsil;

Children who snore and have poor breathing;

As long as the tonsils are inflamed and have tumors, patients with benign tumors, cystic tumors or malignant tumors must undergo tonsillectomy.

Is there any reason not to remove tonsils?

There must be. Although tonsillectomy is recognized as very safe, it also has certain risks like all surgical operations. Because surgery requires local anesthesia or general anesthesia, anesthesia itself may be dangerous. Moreover, although tonsillectomy and hyperplasia surgery is simple and easy to operate compared with other operations, tonsillectomy can cause sore throat 14 days or so, and sometimes the pain is so severe that children can't bear it.

Who can't remove tonsils?

When the child has an acute attack of tonsillitis;

Older girls are around the menstrual period;

Children with blood diseases (such as coagulation mechanism problems, thrombocytopenia and leukemia) should not have their tonsils removed.

There are complications, such as acute glomerulonephritis, long-term use of hormone drugs, hepatitis recovery and so on. And the tonsils cannot be removed. You must wait until your body returns to normal before you can operate.

What age is suitable for tonsillectomy? Does the operation hurt? How long will it take?

There is generally no age limit for tonsillectomy, and it can be done after one and a half years old. Now we use painless hemostasis. As long as we take anti-inflammatory drugs and oral hemostatic drugs for 4 days before operation, we can complete the operation in a few minutes. Under general anesthesia, there is no pain at all. Just a few days ago, I operated on an 8-year-old girl. I can't sleep well because of tonsil hypertrophy. The operation was completed in less than two minutes, and she was discharged within three days.

Tonsillectomy affects children's singing and vocalization. Will the operation affect the vocal cords? Will it leave sequelae?

The vocal cords of pronunciation are in the throat and the tonsils are in the pharynx, so removing the tonsils will not damage the vocal cords at all. Besides, it's only a minor operation, and there won't be any sequelae after the operation.

Finally, parents should be reminded that although tonsillectomy is a minor operation, due to the special position and function of tonsillectomy, we should listen to the advice of specialists and act cautiously when deciding whether to perform tonsillectomy.