Tonsillectomy Rises Weight Gain Risks in Kids

Tonsillectomy is the most common major surgical procedure underwent by children, and a new research suggests that it is linked to an increased risk of obesity.

It seems that having your kid's tonsils surgically removed, with or without the removal of the adenoids (adenoidectomy), puts him/her at high risk of becoming overweight after surgery.

The study suggesting this, involved 795 children aged 0 to 18 years old, part of which were normal weight and part overweight, who had tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy surgery.

The main reason for which this intervention was necessary in 47.7% of them was sleep-disordered breathing.

The first out of the three groups created for this research, included three studies on 127 kids, whose BMI increased by 5.5-8.2%.

The second group also included three studies involving 419 patients, for which the standardized weight scores increased in 46-100% of them.

Finally, the 249 children in the third group underwent adenoidectomy, and 50-75% of them gained weight after the intervention.

Every study had different definitions of overweight and a range of follow-up periods, and based on their findings, the authors recommend that parents whose kids are undergoing tonsillectomy, get dietary and lifestyle advice.

Also, in order to make sure that children grow within healthy limits, growth monitoring is necessary after surgery.

Author Anita Jeyakumar, MD, writes that “there may have been a variety of proposed mechanisms for the weight gain following adenoidectomy.

“Children with chronic tonsillitis may have dysphagia or odynophagia that may lead to a reduced calorie intake.

“When the diseased tonsils are removed, the child then is able to consume additional calories.

“Parents may also feel impelled to over-feed their child when recovering from chronic illness or surgery, further adding to caloric intake and weight gain.”

Pediatric obesity has become a very serious problem over the last 20 years, and recent data suggests that 33% of American children are overweight and 17% are obese.

This means that they have increased risks of becoming obese adults, very sensitive to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The new study is published in the February 2011 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.