Removing tonsils may not be best for kids: study

Removing tonsils may not be best for kids: study
LONDON (Reuters) - Removing the tonsils of children withmild or moderate throat infections is more expensive and hasfewer health benefits than simply watching and waiting, Dutchresearchers said on Monday.
In a study involving 300 children aged 2 to 8 advised tohave their tonsils out, those who avoided surgery had fewerannual visits to doctors and lower resulting medical costs dueto fevers and throat infections.
Tonsils are masses of tissue at the back of the throat thattrap bacteria and viruses a person may breathe in.
"Surgery resulted in a significant increase in costswithout realizing relevant clinical benefit," Erik Buskens, anepidemiologist and colleagues at the University Medical CentreUtrecht in the Netherlands, wrote in the Archives ofOtolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
Tonsillectomy is one of the most frequently performedsurgical procedures for children. Young patients havetraditionally had their tonsils removed to relieve repeatedthroat infections and related fevers.
While doctors today carry out far fewer tonsil operationsthan in the past, the Dutch study provides evidence that manychildren who do have the procedure see little, if any benefit.
In their study conducted between 2002 and 2003, the teamexcluded children with frequent throat infections or those whohad their tonsils removed because of sleep apnea.
The researchers asked parents to track their children'srespiratory track symptoms, measure their temperatures dailyand record any costs related to their care.
They found that annual costs among the group which did nothave surgery was about 551 euro per year, about 46 percent lessthan the 803 euros for children who had their tonsils removed.The children who avoided surgery also had fewer fevers, throatinfections and respiratory illnesses.
The researchers did not take into account costs borne byparents in the form of missed days from work or other expensesrelated to their children's illnesses.
And because the surgery is cheaper in the Netherland thanin many other countries, the gap between costs and benefits inother Western nations is likely greater, they said.
"Compared with other Western countries, our cost estimatesmay be low," the researchers wrote. "In other settings, thecost-effectiveness would be further offset by more costlyprocedures."
(Editing by Maggie Fox and Michael Winfrey)