Having your tonsils out raises asthma risk
Children who have their tonsils removed are more than three times as likely to develop asthma later in life, a study suggests. As many as one in five people who had a tonsillectomy went on to suffer serious diseases they might otherwise not have developed, with the procedure also raising the risk of influenza, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The Danish scientists who led the 30-year research project into nearly two million children said removing tonsils before the age of 10 might harm the development of the immune system.
HAVING tonsils removed more than triples the risk of developing asthma in later life, a study suggests.
The first long-term investigation into consequences of the procedure during childhood also found an increased risk of influenza, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
As many as one in five people who underwent a tonsillectomy went on to suffer from serious diseases they would otherwise not have developed, the study showed. Experts have said the 30-year research, involving nearly two million children, indicates that while the modest benefits of the operation – preventing a recurring sore throat – mostly vanish by age 40, it boosts the lifetime risk of serious conditions.
They believe that removing tonsils in the first decade of life may harm the development of the immune system and open the door to future disease.
But they also say further research is required to rule out the possibility that patients more inclined towards tonsil pain in childhood are naturally at more risk of serious respiratory disease.
Published in The Journal of the American Association of Medicine, the study urges paediatricians to limit their use of tonsillectomies as far as possible. Use of the procedure has dropped from a high of around 200,000 a year in the Fifties, to fewer than 50,000 today.
Led by scientists at the University of Copenhagen, researchers analysed data from 1,189,061 Danish children born between 1979 and 1999 who had undergone a tonsillectomy in their first nine years. The procedure was associated with an almost tripled risk, moving the chances of developing asthma, influenza, pneumonia or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), the umbrella term for conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema, to 18.6 per cent.
Dr Tim Mitchell, a consultant otolaryngologist from the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “Before opting to remove tonsils or adenoids, surgeons will always consider and discuss all treatment options, including non-surgical treatments, with patients, and parents in the case of children. There has been a significant decrease in tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies in the last few decades. The decision to operate will always be taken with good reason and based on proven benefit.”
The study also looked at childhood adenoids removal for ear infections. It found this to be linked to a more than doubled risk of COPD, while nearly doubling the risk of upper respiratory tract diseases and conjunctivitis. “Our observed results that show increased risks for long-term diseases after surgery support delaying tonsil and adenoid removal if possible, which could aid normal immune system development in childhood and reduce these possible later-life disease risks,” said Dr Sean Byers, who took part in the research at the University of Melbourne.