United States: A medical report today states surgical removal of tonsils and adenoids enhances nighttime breathing for children with minor nighttime obstruction.
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According to JAMA Pediatrics research findings, patients who had their tonsils, adenoids, or part of both surgically retrieved cut their doctor appointments by 32% while reducing their medication use by 48%.
According to a senior researcher, Dr. Susan Redline, a professor of sleep medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the outcomes of the study mean that “for every 100 children, 125 encounters and 253 prescriptions can be avoided in the first year following surgery,” the US News reported.
Sleep-disordered breathing affects 17% of American children since their nighttime breathing causes them to wake repeatedly, according to news release information.
In a new study, researchers from @BrighamWomens and colleagues found that early surgical intervention in children with sleep-disordered breathing reduces need for doctor visits and prescriptions. The study was published in @JAMAPediatrics.
— Mass General Brigham Research (@MGBResearchNews) March 18, 2025
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The practice of removing enlarged tonsils from children with moderate to severe sleep-disturbed breathing had not previously been evaluated in mild cases.
A detailed evaluation of 459 children with mild sleep-disordered breathing occurred through a clinical trial that monitored their progress during a one-year period.
The participants were between ages 3 and 12, so they received care at seven academic sleep centers operating across the United States.
Tonsillectomy surgery was performed on one group of children throughout the trial, while the other group received care without surgery, which included educational resources on sleep health and referrals to assess their allergy and asthma conditions.
Children who underwent adenotonsillectomy procedures demonstrated diminished requirements for doctor visits and medicine prescriptions for sleep during the one-year research period.
Scientists have yet to understand how adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy reduce sleep-disordered breathing in patients with mild symptoms, according to their research findings.
Furthermore, as per researchers, “The reduction in the rates of both total encounters and total prescriptions associated with surgery was more pronounced among children older than 5 years than among children 5 years and younger,” US News reported.
New evidence should demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of adenotonsillectomy as a treatment compared to alternative medical approaches.