Adults who undergo a tonsillectomy have fewer symptoms of pharyngitis, visit their doctors with throat problems less often, and miss work less, researchers from the University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, both in Finland, reported in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
The researchers wrote that tonsillectomy may help some adults with recurrent or chronic pharyngitis.
There are very few studies on the benefits and potential harms regarding adult patients undergoing tonsillectomy, the authors explained.
Timo Koskenkorva, MD, and team set out to determine what the short-term efficacy might be for adult patients with recurrent pharyngitis who have their tonsils surgically removed.
Pharyngitis is inflammation of the pharynx – a common cause of sore throat. The pharynx is at the back of the throat – the part right at the back that you see when you look into somebody’s mouth, just below the mouth and nasal cavity and above the esophagus and larynx.
The pharynx is at the back of the throat
Timo Koskenkorva and team carried out a randomized, controlled, parallel-group trial at a tertiary care ENT (ear nose and throat) center in Oulu, Finland, from October 2007 to December 2010. The 86 participants were randomly selected into two groups:
- The watchful waiting group (control group) – 40 patients
- The tonsillectomy group (they had their tonsils taken out) – 46 patients
All the participants had been referred to tonsillectomy because of recurrent pharyngitis.
Their primary outcome was the difference in the percentage of participants with severe pharyngitis within 5 months (severe symptoms and C-reactive protein levels of more than 40 mg/L). Their secondary outcome included rates of pharyngitis, how many days with pharyngitis symptoms, and differences between groups in proportions of participants who had episodes of pharyngitis either with or without medical consultation.
The researchers reported the following results:
- None of the participants in the tonsillectomy group had a severe episode of pharyngitis
- One patient in the control group had a severe episode of pharyngitis
- 4% (2) of patients in the tonsillectomy group consulted a doctor for pharyngitis, compared to 43% (17) in the control group
- During the 5-month follow-up, 80% (32) of participants in the control group had an episode of pharyngitis, compared to 39% (18) in the tonsillectomy group
- Patients in the tonsillectomy group had significantly fewer symptomatic days compared to those in the control group
The authors explained that the difference in the number of episodes of severe pharyngitis between the two groups was “not significant” – in both cases episodes were rare.
The researchers concluded:
“However, tonsillectomy resulted in fewer symptoms of pharyngitis, consequently decreasing the number of medical visits and days absent from school or work. For this reason, surgery may benefit some patients.”
An article in the January 2008 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery informed that tonsillectomies for treating recurrent and chronic tonsillitis significantly improve both adult and pediatric patients’ quality of life.
Ninety-eight percent of patients reported fewer infections during a six-month follow-up after their operation. Patients also reported fewer episodes of sore throat, trips to the doctor because of sore throat, and fewer cases of persistent bad breath.
Written by Christian Nordqvist