Asthma and enlarged tonsils

There is much controversy and debate about whether or not to remove the tonsils in a person suffering from asthma. Different doctors have different opinions on this matter. Some advocate tonsillectomy (removal of the tonsils), while others do not. Therefore, it is important to understand the role of tonsils in the human body in order to make a proper judgment about it.

The tonsils are the first line of defense of the human body. They are present on both sides of the pharynx. The pharynx is the middle portion of the throat. The reason the tonsils are the first line of defense is because they try to trap any germs and foreign bodies that might enter the body through the mouth and nose. After catching them, the tonsils also produce protective antibodies with the help of their structure of lymphatic cells that form the main body of the tonsils. These antibodies circulate in the blood and fight foreign organisms that somehow get into the bloodstream. So, the tonsils, on the one hand, act as a mechanical protection, and on the other hand, they also act at the molecular level to protect the body. The tissue that forms antibodies is also present in other parts of the body, but the tonsils are the first line of defense of the human system.

A child’s body is exposed to many different types of germs for the first time. The body is not used to these germs and needs protection against them. The tonsils work vigorously and in some children become abnormally enlarged in the process. If a child suffers from coughing and wheezing, her breathing is forced. If this is due to some allergic reactions, it can also be accompanied by a sore throat and fever. If the allergy persists or can subside and recur again and again, the tonsils also become infected while protecting the body.

In such a scenario, the infected tonsils may need to be removed, as their infection can have an adverse impact on the body repeatedly. Also, their enlarged size can further force breathing in a child who already has asthma. Therefore, tonsil removal may be recommended for children with asthma if the asthma is extrinsic and caused by allergens.

Sometimes in children suffering from intrinsic asthma this may also be recommended as the body becomes weak and susceptible to attack by various organisms. But this is controversial because the tonsils are the first line of defense and removing them may not be so good, at least in theory. But in practice, tonsils can be the cause of many infections and it is better to get rid of the source of infections.

Some of the opinions regarding the issue of tonsil removal are:

1 The tonsils act at the site and later as a source of infection in the body. Its elimination would favorably influence the course of asthma and would even prevent its appearance in a susceptible individual.

two The tonsils prevent the spread of infection from the nose and throat to the bronchi and lungs, so removing them would create situations of mild asthma that would become severe. In susceptible individuals, asthma symptoms may even be precipitated by tonsillectomy.

3 The presence or absence of tonsils does not really make any difference to an individual’s allergic status. So, technically, tonsil removal cannot precipitate asthma symptoms according to this view.

With reference to the various points of view mentioned above, it seems that the most appropriate path for tonsil removal surgery would not only be an individual choice, but it may also mean that a certain individual needs to be studied for a history of infections, process of treatment and the path of recovery from infections before any decision can be made.

If there is evidence of recurrent throat infections and the infections appear to be localized to the tonsils, this may be the only option, as long as there are no other serious complications. Children in the younger stages are more susceptible to repeated infections of the throat and chest, so it is very important to understand that infections are localized to the tonsil area before making the decision for tonsillectomy.

Another point that must be fully understood is that removing infected tonsils may not have any effect on the child’s asthma status. Tonsil removal may have an effect on associated conditions of aggravation of symptoms due to the effect that associated allergens may have on the condition.

This is also true only for the extrinsic type of asthma, but will have little or no effect on the intrinsic type of asthma. Some doctors feel that the benefits associated with tonsillectomy are most apparent in the first year of surgery and then dissipate and after a while there is no difference between asthmatic children who had surgery and asthmatic children who did not. no surgery.