Children with asthma can control their symptoms better after having surgery to remove their adenoids and tonsils, according to researchers from the University of Chicago, IL.

Share on Pinterest Although asthma is currently incurable, with good treatment and management, people with asthma can live normal and active lives.

In the study, published in PLoS Medicine, the authors compared the hospital admissions and prescriptions of children with asthma before and after having adenotonsillectomy surgery, in order to assess whether the control of their asthma improved following the operation.

Adenotonsillectomy (AT) is a procedure that is commonly used as a primary form of treatment for symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – a condition affecting approximately 2-3% of children, whereby the upper airway becomes inflamed and episodically obstructed during sleep.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) refer to the adenoids and tonsils as the body’s first line of defense – as part of the immune system – against bacteria and viruses that enter the body through the mouth and nose.

At present, most forms of asthma control focus on the daily use of anti-inflammatory medication, typically through inhalers. Other treatments can involve avoiding substances that trigger asthma attacks such as allergens. Recent studies, however, have suggested treatment strategies that target coexisting conditions with overlapping symptoms, such as obesity and sleep-disordered breathing.

The authors of the new study state that they set out “to examine whether the proposed overlap of two commonly inflammatory conditions in children, namely, asthma and OSA, leads to interdependent effects on the severity of the disease.”

Previous findings suggest that the presence of OSA could worsen asthma in children, and thus the treatment of OSA could reduce the severity of asthma and lessen the need for anti-asthmatic medication.