Tonsillectomy should be cautious for children under 6 years old. Tonsil can produce lymphocytes and make the whole body produce immunity. Some tonsils should be removed. For example, chronic tonsillitis often repeated attacks, inflammation 4 to 5 times a year or more, each time the systemic symptoms of inflammation.
In the outpatient department of otolaryngology in major hospitals, parents often tell their children that their tonsils are often inflamed when they take their children to see a doctor and ask the doctor to remove them. Some children's tonsils are inflamed repeatedly, but parents are unwilling to remove the tonsils. So, should the tonsils be removed?
There is a mass of tissue on both sides of the oropharynx, which is the tonsil. It's lymphoid tissue. It's an important immune organ for children. It's like a pair of guards guarding the door. Tonsil can produce lymphocytes and antibodies, so it has the defense function of anti-bacterial and anti-virus. Pharynx is the only way to eat and breathe. It is easy to hide germs and foreign bodies in frequent contact. The abundant lymphoid tissue and tonsil in the pharynx perform the defense and protection task of this special area of the body. However, it is also vulnerable to hemolytic streptococcus, Staphylococcus and pneumococcus and other pathogenic bacteria. These bacteria usually exist in the pharynx and tonsil recesses. Under normal circumstances, due to the integrity of tonsil surface epithelium and continuous secretion of mucinous glands, bacteria can be discharged from the crypt along with the exfoliated epithelial cells, thus maintaining the health of the body. When the body due to excessive fatigue, cold and other reasons to reduce resistance, epithelial defense function weakened, gland secretion function decreased, the tonsil will suffer from bacterial infection and inflammation. If tonsillitis attacks repeatedly and has adverse effects on the whole body, tonsillectomy can be considered.
However, tonsillectomy should be performed carefully in children under 6 years old. Tonsil can produce lymphocytes and make the whole body produce immunity. Tonsil is the gateway to the invasion of exogenous bacteria, and has a special tissue structure, which fully shows that it is an immune organ. There are all kinds of immunoglobulin in tonsil tissue. The content of immunoglobulin is related to age. There are more components in children. Therefore, children under 4 years old should not be operated without special circumstances.
But after 5 to 6 years old, the immune function of tonsil has been gradually replaced by other organs, so tonsillectomy after 6 years old will not reduce immunity.
Some tonsils should be removed. For example, chronic tonsillitis often repeated attacks, inflammation more than 4 to 5 times a year, each time the systemic symptoms of inflammation, high fever, sore throat, tonsillar enlargement, congestion, surface purulent spots, etc.; have had tonsillitis and abscess around; tonsillar hypertrophy, has affected breathing and sleep; focus type tonsillitis. Because tonsillitis can be complicated with nephritis, rheumatic heart disease, myocarditis and rheumatic arthritis, recent studies have found that the incidence of psoriasis is also closely related to tonsillitis. This kind of patients can remove the tonsils in the stable stage of the disease; the tonsils can be removed when other medical diseases are excluded due to the long-term low fever of unknown reason and chronic inflammation of the tonsils; tonsillar keratosis or stones, polypoid hyperplasia, cysts and other benign tumors on the tonsils; In the early stage of tonsillar malignant tumor, tonsillectomy can be performed when there is no lymph node metastasis, but postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy is needed.
Although tonsillectomy is a minor operation, because of its special function, we should listen to the specialist's advice and take a cautious attitude when deciding whether to remove the tonsils.