But they become less important as a kid gets older and the body develops other ways to fight germs. Adenoids usually shrink after about age 5, and by the teenage years they often practically disappear. Because adenoids trap germs that enter the body, adenoid tissue sometimes temporarily swells gets puffier as it tries to fight off an infection.
The swelling sometimes gets better, but sometimes adenoids can get infected. At the doctor's office, the doctor will ask you how things feel in your ears, nose, and throat, and then take a look at these parts.
Your doctor will also feel your neck near your jaw. To check the size of your adenoids, your doctor might ask you to get an X-ray or look in your nose with a tiny telescope. If it looks like your adenoids are infected, the doctor may give you an antibiotic a germ-fighting medicine. Sometimes doctors recommend removing the adenoids if medicine doesn't help or if they're making a kid sick a lot.
In adults, both tonsils and adenoids shrink. However, they can all swell up again with infections. Since adenoids are constantly in the path of germs micro-organisms , infections are common.
Infected adenoids swell, which can reduce the airflow through the nose. Symptoms of infected adenoids include:. What is done to treat infected adenoids depends on whether the child is ill or not, and what other effects the infected adenoids are causing. For example, if a child has a middle ear infection or sinusitis, and the adenoids are swollen, treatment will be aimed at reducing the pain in the ears. Antibiotics will often be used. If these treatments improve the health of the ear or the sinuses, they will usually help get rid of the infection in the adenoids as well.
It is rare for 'infected adenoids' to be the main reason for treatment. Your doctor may recommend having the adenoids removed adenoidectomy if:. Surgery to remove the adenoids is done under general anaesthetic. Often, the tonsils are removed at the same time, since recurring infections tend to affect both the adenoids and tonsils. Post-operative complications may include vomiting, difficulties with swallowing, pain and bleeding. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:.
Children's Health. Kevin Joy. June 21, AM. Bohm spoke more about the basics of the surgery:. It's also important for them to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
Your child will need to rest for several days after an adenoidectomy and should be kept off school for about 10 days.
This is to reduce their risk of getting an infection. Keep your child away from people with coughs or colds, and from smoky environments. Page last reviewed: 10 February Next review due: 10 February An adenoidectomy is an operation to remove the adenoids. What are adenoids? When adenoids need to be removed A child's adenoids can sometimes become swollen or enlarged.
Adenoids may need to be removed if your child has: breathing problems — your child may have difficulty breathing through their nose and may have to breathe through their mouth instead, which can cause problems such as cracked lips and a dry mouth difficulty sleeping — your child may start to snore and in severe cases, some children have irregular breathing during sleep and become very sleepy during the day sleep apnoea recurrent or persistent problems with the ears, such as middle ear infections otitis media or glue ear where the middle ear becomes filled with fluid recurrent or persistent sinusitis leading to symptoms such as a constantly runny nose, facial pain and nasal-sounding speech Adults do not often need an adenoidectomy.
How an adenoidectomy is done The adenoids can be removed during an adenoidectomy. Before the operation Tell your ENT surgeon if your child has had a cold or sore throat in the week before the operation. The procedure An adenoidectomy is done under general anaesthetic , so your child will be asleep during the operation and will not feel any pain. Removal of the tonsils If your child has large tonsils, or has had severe or frequent bouts of tonsillitis , the doctor may suggest removing the tonsils and adenoids at the same time.
Complications An adenoidectomy is a very safe operation and complications are rare. Minor problems during recovery After an adenoidectomy, some children have some minor health problems.
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