Assessing the impact adenotonsilectomy has on the lives of children with hypertrophy of palatine and pharyngeal tonsils

SummaryThe hypertrophy of the palatine and pharyngeal tonsils is extremely common in children, being one of the most frequent causes of visits to otolaryngologists and such problem can impair the child’s quality of life. Aim: to evaluate the impact of adenotonsillectomy on the lives of children with hypertrophied tonsils. Materials and methods: Contemporary longitudinal cohort study. A specific questionnaire used to evaluate the quality of life - OSD-6, was given to seventy five parents or guardians of children previously submitted to adenotonsillectomy, before the surgery and thirty days afterwards. Results: The adenotonsillectomy provided a significant reduction in the questionnaire score. Discussion: Snoring and nasal obstruction were the symptoms with the highest scores. There is a great concern from the parents with the snoring of the children and a poor statistic correlation between the degree of obstruction degree and a worse quality of life. Conclusion: Adenotonsillectomy causes a relevant impact in the quality of life of children with tonsil hypertrophy.