Patient's question:
The child started breathing heavily at night when sleeping, and the sound decreased when lying on their side. However, they did not snore or breathe with their mouth open. It has been almost half a year, and the heavy breathing has persisted. They have also seen a doctor before and were given the same medication. This time, after taking it for a week, there has been no 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, but they are all supplementary treatments. The true treatment for pediatric adenoid hypertrophy should be surgical. Only surgery is the most effective method. The others are merely for relief and support. Below, I will introduce them. Adenoid hypertrophy should primarily be treated with surgery.I. Medication for adenoid hypertrophy is only supplementary
Medication for adenoid hypertrophy is only supplementary. It can only alleviate the surface symptoms caused by the adenoids but cannot make them shrink. Moreover, medication for children must be used with extreme caution. Adenoids grow with age and reach their maximum size by 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. If the child suffers from recurrent adenoid hypertrophy and conservative treatment is ineffective, or if it becomes a focus of 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. Pathologically enlarged adenoids not only serve no function but may also trigger middle ear infections, recurrent respiratory infections, and other diseases, negatively affecting the child's appearance, physical development, and intellectual growth. Therefore, it is recommended that if adenoid hypertrophy occurs, timely treatment is key.