Removing Tonsils Helps Some Kids Sleep Better
April 20, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Children who have sleep apnea and other forms of sleep disturbances fare well after adenotonsillectomy surgery to remove the tonsils and adenoid tissue, according to a new study.
Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston recently found children undergoing tonsil and adenoid removal surgery experience improvements in quality of life, as well as with their sleep disorder.
In recent years, adenotonsillectomy surgery has been recommended to an increasing number of children with sleep breathing disturbances. Both sleep apnea and sleep breathing disturbances have been shown to affect children’s quality of life.
Forty-seven children with a history of sleep-disordered breathing entered the study. Among the children who underwent tonsil and adenoid tissue removal surgery, researchers observed improvements in quality of life when compared to children who did not have the surgery.
SOURCE: Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, 2005;131:308-314
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