Patient's question:
Recently, I found that my child snores very loudly at night. When I went to the hospital for a check-up, they said it was due to enlarged adenoids. I'm not familiar with this condition. Could you please tell me what the function of adenoids is?Doctor's answer:
The adenoids, also known as pharyngeal tonsils, are a group of lymphoid tissues similar to (palatal) tonsils, attached to the posterior wall of the nasopharynx. If infected during childhood, the adenoids can become swollen and inflamed, and may also lead to permanent hypertrophy. Adenoid hypertrophy can obstruct nasal breathing and affect sinus drainage, making individuals more susceptible to sinusitis. It can also block the Eustachian tube (otitis, the passage from the nasopharynx to the middle ear), leading to middle ear infections. Children with adenoid hypertrophy or infected adenoids are often treated with surgery, which includes the removal of the tonsils.