Tonsillectomy sorts out children's sleep apnea and improves their behaviour

Doctors in the U.S. say children diagnosed with sleep-related breathing disorders sleep better after their tonsils and adenoids are removed.

What is more, the children's behaviour also improved.

Sleep-disordered breathing in children has been linked with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), hyperactive behaviour, academic problems, bed wetting, learning disabilities, sleepiness during the day, headaches and other complaints.

As many as 11% of all children develop sleep breathing disorders, which include obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, snoring, and other conditions related to affected air flow.

For the study Dr. Julie Wei, of the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and colleagues surveyed 117 children with sleep disordered breathing caused by snoring, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, or other conditions, who had their tonsils and adenoids removed (tonsillectomy); their average age was 6.5 years.

The surveys included questions on behaviour and the team found from correlations between sleep and behaviour scores before and after surgery that of the 71 children who completed the six-month follow-up, scores for sleep problems and behavioural difficulties were significantly lower than before the surgery.

Improvements were reported in the children's cognitive abilities, hyperactivity, confrontational behavior and ADHD.

The study is published in the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.