• Do You Need Your Tonsils?

Laboratory Products

Do You Need Your Tonsils?

Jul 23 2018

Tonsillectomy, a surgical procedure that sees both palatine tonsils removed, has been practiced for over 2000 years. While popularity spiked during the 1950s to 1970s and has since tapered out, removing the tonsils is still a common medical procedure. The global medical community asserts that their absence doesn't have a negative effect on adult health, with the latest statistics revealing that around 50,000 tonsillectomies a year are performed in the UK.

Now, a breakthrough study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery is suggesting otherwise, with experts warning that the procedure could contribute to health issues later in life. Led by the University of Melbourne's Dr Sean Byars, the research team analysed medical records sourced from a roughly 1.2 million Danish individuals.

Tonsillectomies weakened the immune system

When comparing control group individuals to those who had their tonsils or adenoids removed before turning nine, Byers and his team noted that patients who underwent tonsillectomy surgery were three times more likely to suffer from infectious or allergic upper respiratory tract diseases, including influenza, pneumonia and asthma, later in their lives. Adenoidectomy patients experienced a two-fold higher risk, as well as a higher likelihood of developing chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) and conjunctivitis.

In light of the research, Byers and his colleagues stress that contrary to popular belief, the tonsils and adenoids play an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system and actively detecting and fighting off invasive bacteria and viruses destined for the throat and lungs.

“Given that tonsils and adenoids are part of the lymphatic system and play a key role both in the normal development of the immune system and in pathogen screening during childhood and early-life, it is not surprising that their removal may impair pathogen detection and increase risk of later respiratory and infectious diseases.”

Experts call for tonsillectomy cease-fire

They stress that both procedures should be avoided if possible, and that if a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy is necessary that it should be delayed for as long as possible to allow the child's immune system to develop and strengthen.

“The growing body of research on developmental origins of disease has convincingly demonstrated that even small perturbations to foetal and childhood growth and development can have lifelong consequences for general health.”

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