Health Benefits Of Tonsil Removal For Kids

Recent study reveal that tonsillectomy (health procedure to remove tonsils) for kids is actually more beneficial than not. According to papers published in the journal of Pediatrics, removing kids' tonsils helps in reducing the chances of throat infection and improves breathing while at sleep.

CNN reports that the papers submitted by research proponents from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and published in the Journal of Pediatrics have revealed several health benefits of removing kids' tonsils. According to their research, undergoing tonsillectomy showed tremendous short term reliefs for kids who have tonsil or throat related health problems.

Tonsillectomy is particularly recommended for kids who have relatively large tonsils. According to studies, children with large tonsils find it difficult to breathe while they are sleeping. This problem is medically known as Obstructive Sleep-Disordered Breathing or OSDB.

Children who are suffering from OSDB or those who have large tonsils are automatically accepted as candidates for tonsillectomy barring any health conditions that will prevent the surgery. Having large tonsils in children may also lead to more constant throat infections.

According to the study, children who had their tonsils removed showed drastic reduction in occurrences of throat related infection. However, this improvement is said to be only short term. The study reveal that three years after undergoing tonsillectomy, kids who got their tonsils removed suffer the same number of throat related infections with those who still have their tonsils intact.

The proponents of the study however admitted that the paper lack conciseness as to the severity of throat infections in patients. According to the researchers, this date is crucial to really determine if the patients really suffered tonsillitis or just having a common cold or flu.

According to Dr. David Gozla of the University of Chicago, the recurrent throat infection must be well-documented and should be within a span of three years or that the ODSB must be clinically confirmed before even considering a tonsillectomy for kids. He further stated that it is unfortunate that only a few children who have undergone tonsillectomy took clinical testing before surgery.