Most children who have tonsils do NOT need surgery and it may do more harm than good, study reveals
Experts say 32,5000 of the 37,000 tonsillectomies each year are pointless and waste £37million of NHS money
SEVEN in eight children who have their tonsils removed do not need the op and may suffer more harm than good, a study reveals.
Experts warn 32,500 of the 37,000 tonsillectomies performed each year are pointless and waste £37million of NHS cash.
The procedure leaves patients at risk of complications, such as excessive bleeding, with one in ten attending A&E afterwards.
Evidence shows only kids who suffer repeatedly from sore throats are likely to achieve any benefit from a tonsillectomy.
Guidelines say they must have more than seven sore throats a year, more than five a year for two years, or three a year for three years.
But a review of 1.6million children’s medical records showed only 11.7 per cent of those going under the knife met the criteria.
And just 13.6 per cent of those who did qualify got their tonsils removed, the University of Birmingham researchers found.
Of those who had a tonsillectomy, 44.7 per cent had suffered two to four sore throats in a year and 9.9 per cent just one.
Prof Tom Marshall said: “Research shows that children with frequent sore throats usually suffer fewer sore throats over the next year or two.
“In those children with enough documented sore throats, the improvement is slightly quicker after tonsillectomy, which means surgery is justified.
“But research suggests children with fewer sore throats don’t benefit enough to justify surgery, because the sore throats tend to go away anyway.
“Our research showed that most children who had their tonsils removed weren’t severely enough affected to justify treatment.
“On the other hand, most children who were severely enough affected with frequent sore throats did not have their tonsils removed.
“Children may be more harmed than helped by a tonsillectomy.
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“We found that even among severely affected children only a tiny minority of ever have their tonsils out. It makes you wonder if tonsillectomy ever really essential in any child.”
The findings are published in the British Journal of General Practice.
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