The benefits of having (and getting rid of) tonsils

AFFECTED AND THEY WERE HOSPITALIZED. REMOVING WE’RE TALKING TONSILS TONIGHT, REMOVING TONSILS TO TREAT INFECTIONS. EXPERTS SAY THAT THE PROCEDURE CAN HELP SOME KIDS, BUT THERE ARE SOME RISKS. SO JOINING US RIGHT NOW IS DOCTOR TODD ELLEN FROM SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. IT’S GREAT TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. HAPPY TUESDAY. SO QUESTION ONE. OF COURSE I KNOW WHERE MY TONSILS ARE. THEY’RE IN HERE. THEY’RE IN THE BACK OF MY THROAT RIGHT NOW. BUT BUT WHAT EXACTLY DO TONSILS DO. RIGHT. SO TONSILS THINK OF THEM AS SORT OF. IMMUNE TYPE OF OF BODIES. THEY’RE BASICALLY SOFT TISSUES IN THE BACK OF OUR THROAT THAT AID IN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. THEY PRODUCE IMMUNE CELLS LIKE ANTIBODIES, WHICH HELP FIGHT INFECTIONS LIKE BACTERIAL INFECTIONS. SO THEY’RE PART OF OUR IMMUNE DEFENSE. SO SO GIVEN THAT, WHY WOULD A CHILD NEED TO HAVE THEM REMOVED. RIGHT. SO THE MOST COMMON TWO REASONS ARE ONE, RECURRENT INFECTIONS. AND THE SECOND ONE IS TROUBLE BREATHING. SEE IF THE TONSILS BECOME REALLY LARGE SOMETIMES THEY CAN CAUSE WHAT WE CALL SLEEP APNEA, OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA THAT CAN, YOU KNOW, LEAD TO PROBLEMS WITH WITH CHILDREN’S BREATHING. YEAH, I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT. SO. SO WHAT DO YOU WANT PARENTS TO KNOW BEFORE THEY MAKE A DECISION? IF, FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE COMMON THINGS THAT I SEE ARE KIDS WITH RECURRENT STREP INFECTIONS. AND IF KIDS HAVE RECURRENT STREP INFECTIONS, YOU WANT TO WORK WITH THE PEDIATRICIAN. AND OFTENTIMES THEY’RE REFERRED TO THE EAR, NOSE AND THROAT TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER THE TONSIL SHOULD BE REMOVED. THE CURRENT GUIDELINES IS IF YOU HAVE REALLY MORE THAN SEVEN RECURRENT INFECTIONS IN A YEAR OR TEN OVER TWO YEAR PERIOD, OR NINE OVER THREE YEAR PERIOD. SO WHAT I’M GETTING AT IS IT’S NOT JUST 1 OR 2 INFECTIONS, YOU KNOW, LEAD TO TONSIL REMOVAL. WHY? BECAUSE TONSILLECTOMIES HAVE SIDE EFFECTS OKAY. ABOUT 5% OF KIDS CAN HAVE BLEEDING DURING OR AFTER THAT PROCEDURE. AND ABOUT 1 IN 10 OR 10% CAN HAVE TROUBLE BREATHING AFTER THE TONSILLECTOMY. AGAIN, MOST KIDS DO WELL. BUT THE OTHER THING I WANT PARENTS TO KNOW AND CHILDREN TO KNOW IS THAT OVER TIME, KIDS TEND TO HAVE DECREASED INFECTIONS, THROAT INFECTIONS, EVEN WITHOUT TONSILLECTOMY. SO SOMETIMES IT’S OBVIOUS A KID WILL HAVE HUGE TONSILS, TROUBLE BREATHING, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IN THAT CASE YOU WANT TO REFER THEM TO ENT FOR REMOVAL. AND IT CAN BE REALLY LIFE CHANGING. THE SAME CAN BE TRUE WITH RECURRENT STREP INFECTIONS. BUT IF YOUR KID IS HAVING RECURRENT SORE THROATS BECAUSE OF VIRUSES WHICH ARE VERY COMMON IN THOSE CASES, YOU REALLY DON’T WANT TO GO THROUGH TONSILLECTOMY. SO IT’S A DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE PEDIATRICIAN AND ENT. WELL, THANKS FOR CLEARING UP AND BREAKING I