A Saint Louis University study found that a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy successfully resolves sleep problems caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in 80% to 90% of child sufferers.
OSA affects roughly 2% to 4% of children 4 to 6 years old.
“Obstructive sleep apnea has a considerable impact on children’s quality of life, similar to chronic asthma or rheumatoid arthritis,” says Ron Mitchell, MD, professor of pediatric otolaryngology at SLU and the study’s author.
In the study, OSA was considered resolved if the sufferer experienced fewer than five incidents of interrupted breathing throughout the course of a night. All cases of mild preoperative OSA were resolved while 88% of moderate preoperative cases and 64 % of severe preoperative cases were resolved.
The study was published in a recent issue of The Laryngoscope.
