Polyps in childhood

"Polyps" (the medical term for adenoids) are overgrowths of lymphatic tissue ("tonsil tissues") in the nasopharyngeal region (a deep transition from the nose to the pharynx).

Usually, with this disease, edema of the entire lymphatic tissue appears throughout the pharyngeal ring, and the lymph nodes in the neck also increase as a sign of opposition to the immune system - a kind of elementary school for immunity.

Causes

Lymphatic tissue is an important part of the body's system of resistance to pathogens. If the edema of the lymphatic tissue acquires a significant size, then it reaches the bone tissue of the facial part of the skull. In this case, nasal breathing disorders occur, accompanied by the formation of mucus, snoring, breathing through the mouth and speech in the “nose”.

Difficulties in breathing cause difficulty in eating, especially if the palatine tonsils are enlarged. In this case, there is a threat of a violation of physical and mental development (due to a deterioration in the supply of oxygen to the brain tissue). Proximity to the tympanic membrane leads to a violation of the air circulation in the middle ear, which leads to inflammation of the middle ear, and later leads to the accumulation of mucus and fluid in the middle ear. Children with such complaints often suffer from moderate hearing impairment. These violations are comparable to the situation, as if the ear hole was closed with a finger.

Prevention

A positive therapeutic effect is usually observed after a many-week change in climate, but it is not always possible to organize such a stay in a different climate. In southern countries, such pictures of the disease are much less common. Adequate preventive vaccinations and careful treatment of infections may reduce the risk of disease.

Symptoms

Nasal breathing disorders, open mouth, speech “into the nose”, a state when the nose constantly “flows”, snoring, restless sleep with frequent waking up, fatigue or, conversely, hyperactivity, never “really healthy”, except perhaps in the midst of summer in good weather.

Diagnostics

Clinical and endoscopic examinations of the oral cavity, nasal cavity, pharynx, ear microscopy, hearing diagnostics, allergy tests.

Treatment

• Climate change.
• A medical attempt at treatment (drops in the nose locally, as well as expectorant drugs and medicines - immunostimulants).
• Homeopathic remedies.

In the absence of a response to the applied treatment, the presence of too strong symptoms, as well as in the case of a predictable or already established violation of physical and / or mental development, surgical removal of “polyps” is prescribed, if necessary, in combination with surgical intervention in the middle ear (the operation is performed on an outpatient basis under short-term anesthesia).