Ear Nose and Throat Diseases Specialist Assoc. Dr. Yavuz Selim Yıldırım gave information about the subject. Tonsils are one of the organs of our body's defense system in the mouth. It plays an important role in the formation of antibodies against the microbes and viruses in the food we take orally and by introducing them to the body. Tonsils act as a junction due to their location in the mouth. Our body has tissues that function at many points for the full development of the defense system. Lymphoid tissues that work together with the tonsils in the base of the tongue, pharynx and back wall of the throat perform the same task as the tonsils.
Assoc. Dr. Yavuz Selim Yıldırım said, “Tonsil surgeries, which were performed more frequently in the past, are now being examined much more carefully. Thanks to the developing laboratory technologies, it is easier to understand whether tonsil surgeries are necessary or not with culture and antigen tests. Thus, it prevents unnecessary surgeries.”
In adult and pediatric patients who come to the hospital with sore throat, malaise, high fever, and difficulty in swallowing, first of all, culture and antigen tests from the throat are used to determine the existing cause correctly. In the past, antibiotics were prescribed and sent to every patient who went to the hospital with sore throat, fever and difficulty in swallowing. Antibiotic resistance increased in people who used antibiotics unnecessarily, and antibiotic treatments were applied to viruses.
Dr. Yıldırım said, “The general concern is that bacteria and viruses taken through the throat after the tonsils are removed will descend into the lungs and make people more sick. It is necessary to avoid unnecessary and excessive treatments in order to protect it as much as possible and to perform its functions fully.
When should the tonsils be removed?
If recurrent fever, sore throat and difficulty in swallowing occur more than 1-5 times a month in a year, it should be carefully evaluated.
It can be considered if there is growth and development retardation due to being constantly ill, being left behind from school, and resistance development due to overuse of antibiotics.
It can be considered if a tonsil infection occurs enough to make an abscess in the mouth.
Removal of tonsils may be considered in patients with very high fever that does not respond to antibiotic treatment and recurs.
In case of any risk in the joints, kidney and heart after tonsil infections, it would be more appropriate to remove the tonsils.
In some patient groups, when the tonsils are excessively large without any tonsil infection, it obstructs the airway and prevents breathing, causing sleep apnea, especially at night, causing sleep apnea.
If there is a suspicion that there is any bad disease in the tonsils in adults, it may be necessary to remove the tonsils for diagnosis and treatment.
Some tonsils are very recessed due to their structure, and food residues that enter these recesses can stay here and cause sore throat and bad smell, and in this case, we get rid of this problem by shrinking the tonsils.
What happens if the tonsils are removed?
Since there are other tissues that perform the task of the tonsils in terms of the immune system, there is no weakening of the immune system or getting sick more. Removing some of the tonsils without removing all the tonsil tissues in order to remove the tonsils also significantly reduces the frequency of infection. Assoc. Dr. Yavuz Selim Yıldırım “It can completely solve the problem by reducing the tonsils in patients who cause bad breath, prevent breathing and do not have antibiotic effect.” he stated.
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