What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Enlarged Tonsils and/or Adenoids?
- A runny or stuffy nose
- Trouble breathing through the nose
- Ear infections
- Loud breathing or snoring
- Trouble sleeping or restless sleep
- Swollen glands in the neck
- Sleep apnea, when a child has pauses in breathing during sleep. Enlarged tonsils and adenoids are a common cause of obstructive sleep apnea in children.
What Causes Enlarged Tonsils and Adenoids?
- Infections can cause the tonsils and adenoids to swell. Sometimes, they may stay enlarged after the infection is cleared up.
- Some children are born with large tonsils and/or adenoids.
How are enlarged tonsils and adenoids treated?
The options to treat enlarged tonsils and adenoids may vary depending on how severe the problem is.
- A nasal spray may help reduce swelling.
- If an infection is contributing to swelling of the tonsils or adenoids, antibiotics may be recommended for certain bacterial infections.
A doctor may suggest surgery if a child has trouble breathing, many ear or throat infections, or sleep apnea.
- An adenoidectomy is the surgical removal of the adenoids.
- A tonsillectomy is the surgical removal of the tonsils. Often a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are done at the same time.
Doctors at Connecticut Children’s can determine the right plan if your child requires treatment for enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many things that go into deciding when to remove tonsils in children. Not every child needs surgery. It depends a lot on the symptoms and how much the problem affects daily life.
Some common signs a child needs tonsils removed or adenoids removed are mouth breathing, snoring, sleep apnea (gasping and pausing in sleep), and frequent throat or ear infections.
Our pediatric ENT doctors will evaluate your child and suggest the best plan for your family.
Yes, this is common. Some children only need an adenoidectomy without tonsillectomy. Other children do much better when we remove both the tonsils and adenoids during the exact same surgery. We will recommend the choice that best fits your child's specific symptoms.
Yes, these are very safe and common surgeries. We use general anesthesia, and most children go home the exact same day. Your care team will carefully review any risks of tonsillectomy in children before the procedure. We will also give you clear, easy steps for recovery.
Recovery after adenoidectomy is often quite fast – often in 3-5 days. Most children will describe some moderate soreness in the nose or neck or fullness in the back of the nose, like a bad stuffy nose. There are no diet or activity restrictions after an adenoidectomy. Children will often have very bad breath during the healing process. Sometimes recovery may take up to two weeks. Your child's exact adenoidectomy recovery time depends heavily on their body and how fast they heal.
Often kids will have a sore throat for 1 week. Most children are out of school for 5-7 days after the procedure and out of major activities like sports for 10-14 days after procedure. It is important to drink a lot of fluids during the recovery as this will help with pain and help kids feel better faster.
If you have questions about the expected recovery time for adenoidectomy or recovery time for tonsillectomy, our team is here to help. Throughout your child's adenoid removal recovery and/or tonsil removal recovery, we will give you simple steps for pain relief, eating, and drinking.
Usually, yes. Many children breathe better through their nose and snore less after surgery. Their sleep often improves, too. Some children also experience fewer ear or throat infections. Every child is different, so our ENT specialists can explain exactly what changes you should expect.
No, it will not. It is true that the tonsils and adenoids are part of the immune system, but they play a much smaller role as children grow and there are many other tissues that do the same thing. Removing them does not weaken your child's immune system. Your child's body has many other effective ways to fight off infections.
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