Patient's question:
My youngest daughter has been coughing and sneezing a lot, and her breathing isn't smooth either. At first, I thought she had a cold, so I took her to the clinic. The doctor there said it was due to adenoid hypertrophy and recommended checking into the hospital for further examination. I'd like to ask what causes adenoid hypertrophy?Doctor's answer:
The main causes of adenoid hypertrophy include:1. Congenital immune function deficiency, leading to physiological hypertrophy: During infancy (1–3 years old), the active substances of the human immune system (such as immunoglobulins) are primarily derived from the mother. After about two to three years, these immune substances are largely consumed and insufficient, so the body relies on local immune function (tonsils, such as palatine tonsils and pharyngeal tonsils) to self-regulate. Since tonsils provide immune function, they require developed tissue structures. Under normal circumstances, the degree of development of these tonsils is generally not sufficient to cause excessive hypertrophy. Due to the deficiency in systemic immune function during childhood, there is a higher demand for local immune function, leading to more active self-development of the tonsils. Children with congenital deficiencies (genetic factors) or incomplete postnatal development (from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is considered insufficient in the spleen and kidneys; the kidneys are the foundation of congenital health, while the spleen is the foundation of postnatal health; the kidneys govern bones, which may result in relatively insufficient bone marrow hematopoietic function; the spleen is the source of qi and blood generation, and spleen deficiency can manifest as immune function deficiency) are more prone to excessive proliferation of tonsils (especially before the age of 6 or 7). This excessive proliferation is caused by the body's self-immune regulatory function, hence it is referred to as "physiological tonsil hypertrophy." Therefore, if there is physiological hypertrophy of the palatine tonsils in the oropharynx (which is easily noticeable), there is often also physiological hypertrophy of the adenoids (pharyngeal tonsils). If there is no hypertrophy of the palatine tonsils but hypertrophy of the adenoids is observed during examination, this is more likely to be adenoid hypertrophy caused by inflammation (see below). As the body grows older, bone marrow hematopoietic function and systemic immune function gradually strengthen, reducing reliance on local immune function provided by tonsils. As a result, tonsils gradually shrink and eventually lose their function and shrink completely.
2. Postnatal infections, leading to inflammatory hypertrophy: Since the adenoids are located in the nasopharynx, when a child has nasal diseases, inflammatory secretions are prone to flow into the nasopharynx, causing chronic inflammation in the area. This chronic inflammation can lead to chronic inflammation and hypertrophic changes in the adenoids. Therefore, individuals with nasal diseases, such as chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, or allergic rhinitis, are more likely to develop chronic inflammatory hyperplasia and hypertrophy.