BMJ 2014;349:g6575 doi: 10.1136/bmj.g6575 (Published 5 November 2014)
Page 1 of 1
Research News
RESEARCH NEWS Adenotonsillectomy reduces acute asthma exacerbations in children, study shows Susan Mayor London
Children who undergo adenotonsillectomy have a 30% reduction in acute exacerbations of asthma in the year after their surgery compared with the year before, a large US study has shown.1 Childhood asthma and obstructive sleep apnoea are both associated with airway inflammation. Adenotonsillectomy is the first line treatment for childhood sleep apnoea but its role in asthma is currently unclear.
To investigate whether removing the adenoids and tonsils might be beneficial in asthma, a team from the University of Chicago studied 13 506 children aged 3-17 years with asthma who underwent adenotonsillectomy in the United States between 2003 and 2010. They were identified from the MarketScan database, which collects information on patients with private health insurance, and were matched for age, sex, and geographical location with 27 012 children with asthma who did not undergo the surgery. Children who underwent adenotonsillectomy showed a 30.2% reduction in acute asthma exacerbations in the year after the procedure compared with the preceding year (95% confidence interval 25.6% to 34.3%, P
Page 1 of 1
Research News
RESEARCH NEWS Adenotonsillectomy reduces acute asthma exacerbations in children, study shows Susan Mayor London
Children who undergo adenotonsillectomy have a 30% reduction in acute exacerbations of asthma in the year after their surgery compared with the year before, a large US study has shown.1 Childhood asthma and obstructive sleep apnoea are both associated with airway inflammation. Adenotonsillectomy is the first line treatment for childhood sleep apnoea but its role in asthma is currently unclear.
To investigate whether removing the adenoids and tonsils might be beneficial in asthma, a team from the University of Chicago studied 13 506 children aged 3-17 years with asthma who underwent adenotonsillectomy in the United States between 2003 and 2010. They were identified from the MarketScan database, which collects information on patients with private health insurance, and were matched for age, sex, and geographical location with 27 012 children with asthma who did not undergo the surgery. Children who underwent adenotonsillectomy showed a 30.2% reduction in acute asthma exacerbations in the year after the procedure compared with the preceding year (95% confidence interval 25.6% to 34.3%, P
