Issue Date: November 18, 2007
Tonsillectomies rising to aid sleep problems
Child's snoring may be a sign.
EVER HAD YOUR tonsils removed? In the past, doctors removed tonsils primarily in children with chronic infections, but a recent study says that there is a new No. 1 reason: sleep disordered breathing.
In 1970, approximately 90% of tonsil operations were performed
Operations more than doubled in last 35 years.
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because of infections; only about 10% were done because tonsils obstructed breathing. But by 2005, only about 30% were done solely to treat an infection, according to the study, presented in September at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery annual meeting.
"This highlights a cultural change and a change in medical practice," says the study's lead author, Britt Erickson, a medical student at the Mayo Clinic. "Tonsillectomies and adenotonsillectomies (the removal of tonsils and adenoids) aren't just a thing of the past." The number of operations more than doubled in the last 35 years, Erickson says.
Why? The researchers speculate that more parents and doctors now recognize the signs of sleep disordered breathing in kids and opt for surgery over other treatments. Talk with your doctor if your child experiences troubled breathing during sleep, a loud snore or regular snoring that grows worse. All are symptoms of sleep apnea.
-- By Peggy J. Noonan
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