By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD
In a new study researchers found that childhood tonsillectomy could predispose patients to obesity later in life.
The study involved 795 children from 0 to 18 years who were described as normal to overweight prior to their operations, and they were separated into three separate groups. Group 1 included three studies involving 127 children, whose body mass index (BMI) increased by 5.5 per cent to 8.2 per cent. Group 2 included three studies involving 419 patients, in whom the standardized weight scores increased in 46 per cent to 100 per cent of patients. Group 3 included three studies with 249 patients, in whom 50 per cent to 75 per cent of the patients gained weight after adenoidectomy. The study was published in the medical journal Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. The 9 different studies spanned over 40 years.
Results showed that children who were operated on may have found eating and thusly consuming more calories after the surgery easier than in their pre-operative state. It was also posited that children recovering from operations may be doted on and possibly overfed by concerned parents.