PREVALENCE OF IGE-MEDIATED HYPERSENSITIVITY IN CHILDREN WITH ADENOTONSILLAR DISEASE

Objective: To determine the prevalence of allergy in children with sev ere adenotonsillar disease and to determine if the persistence of symp toms following tonsillectomy may be related to the allergic state. Des ign: A prospective study of a cohort of 108 patients. Setting: Academi c tertiary referral medical center. Participants: Consecutive children scheduled to undergo tonsillectomy for obstructive hypertrophy or rec urrent infection were eligible to enroll in this study. Over a 17-mont h period, 108 patients enrolled. One-year follow-up data were obtained on 78% of patients. A group of 59 age-matched controls was used for c omparison. Intervention: Radioallergosorbent test analysis was perform ed an all study patients and controls. The study patients had the foll owing surgical procedures: adenotonsillectomy in 61 cases (55%); adeno tonsillectomy-myringotomy tubes in 31 cases (28%); tonsillectomy in 14 cases (13%); tonsillectomy-tubes in one case (<1%); and adeno tonsill ecto my-unilateral tube in one case (<1%). Outcome Measure: Detection of allergy and postsurgical outcome. Results: Allergy was detected by radioallergosorbent test analysis in 23 (21%) of the study group and 1 2 (20%) of the control group. Fourteen patients (17%) reported obstruc tive symptoms unchanged or worse I year following surgery. Three of th ese children were allergic. Sixteen patients (21%) reported allergic s ymptoms unchanged or worse following surgery. Three of these children were allergic. In six patients (7%), asthma developed following tonsil lectomy. None of these children were allergic. Conclusions: The preval ence of allergy in children with severe adenotonsillar disease is the same as that of age-matched controls. No relationship was detected bet ween resolution of symptoms following tonsillectomy and the presence o f allergy. We found no increased prevalence in the development of asth ma following tonsillectomy in the allergic child.