Children who gain weight rapidly after having their tonsils and
adenoids removed to treat sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) may
improve in the short-term, but over time they may relapse or
even worsen. African-American children also tend to relapse,
according to new research from Cincinnati Childrens Hospital
Medical Center. Adenotonsillectomy is the most commonly
performed surgery in children, ranging from about 19 per 10,000
in Canada to 115 per 10,000 in the Netherlands. In the U.S., the
rate is about 50 per 10,000. It is the first line of treatment
for SDB in children. For many kids, undergoing this major
surgery provides only temporary relief. The high rate of
recurrence we observed in both obese and non-obese children
indicates that SDB is a chronic condition, said Raouf Amin,
M.D., director of pulmonary medicine at the hospital. The
results were published in the second issue for March of the
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,
published by the American Thoracic Society. The resea