An international team of scientists from the universities of Copenhagen (Denmark) and Melbourne (Australia) proved that the removal of the tonsils and adenoids in children significantly increases the risk of asthma, pneumonia and other infectious diseases.
Tonsillectomy was one of the most common operations in the 1950s and 1960s. Over time, scientists and doctors came to the conclusion that the short-term positive effect of its implementation is much less than long-term risks.
This is because the tonsils are an organ of the immune system. They consist of lymphoid tissue saturated with leukocytes, and help the body fight infections – it is the reaction to this process that leads to an increase in pain and tonsils. In fact, this is the first line of defense of the body against infections of the throat and respiratory tract.
Adenoids (glands located in the throat behind the nose), in turn, are designed to recognize dangerous pathogens and activate the immune response. Therefore, a similar situation is observed with adenoidectomy – the procedure for the removal of hypertrophied adenoids.
The study analyzed the long-term consequences of adenoidectomy (17.46 thousand people), tonsillectomy (11.83 thousand people) and adeno-tonsillectomy (31.38 thousand people).
It turned out that the tonsillectomy procedure really reduces the risk of developing tonsillitis and sleep disorders. But at the same time, it almost three times increases the likelihood of developing bronchial asthma, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.
Removal of adenoids in children also leads to negative consequences in adulthood. The risk of developing lung disease increases by more than 2 times. Thus, the study analyzed the probability of asthma, influenza, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), etc. After adenoidectomy, the risk of developing COPD also doubles, as well as various diseases of the sinuses, nose, throat, etc.