Patient's question:
When the child sleeps at night, they start breathing heavily. When they sleep on their side, the sound decreases, but they don't snore or breathe through their mouth. It has been about half a year, and they have been breathing heavily the whole time. They have also seen a doctor before and were given the same medication. This time, after taking it for a week, there hasn't been any improvement. What medication is good for treating adenoid hypertrophy in babies?Doctor's answer:
Hello, your child has developed adenoid hypertrophy. There are actually many treatment methods available, but they are all supplementary treatments. The true treatment for pediatric adenoid hypertrophy should be surgical intervention. Only surgery is the most effective method. The others are merely for relief and support. Below, I will provide an introduction. Adenoid hypertrophy should primarily be treated with surgery.I. Medication for Adenoid Hypertrophy Only Has a Supplementary Role
Medication for adenoid hypertrophy only serves a supplementary role. It can only alleviate the surface symptoms caused by the adenoids and is unlikely to cause them to shrink. Additionally, medication for children must be used with extreme caution. Adenoids grow with age and reach their maximum size around the age of 6, after which they gradually regress.
Recommendation:
II. Adenoid Hypertrophy Should Primarily Be Treated with Surgery
The true treatment for pediatric adenoid hypertrophy should be surgical intervention. If the child suffers from recurrent adenoid hypertrophy that does not respond to conservative treatment and becomes a focal point for systemic diseases, such as chronic sinusitis, poor hearing, secretory otitis media, and severe respiratory obstruction (e.g., snoring while sleeping), surgery becomes particularly necessary. Early and standardized treatment is the ideal choice.
Many parents worry that removing the adenoids will weaken their child’s immunity or that the surgery may pose risks. In fact, adenoids naturally shrink after the age of 10. Moreover, pathologically enlarged adenoids not only serve no function but may also trigger conditions such as frequent otitis media and recurrent respiratory infections, negatively affecting the child’s appearance, physical development, and intellectual growth. Therefore, it is recommended that if adenoid hypertrophy is present, timely treatment is key.