Jl. Griffin et al., PREVALENCE OF IGE-MEDIATED HYPERSENSITIVITY IN CHILDREN WITH ADENOTONSILLAR DISEASE, Archives of otolaryngology, head & neck surgery, 120(2), 1994, pp. 150-153
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.