Surgery can prevent heart damage in kids

Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center found that adenotonsillectomy, or the surgery to remove tonsils and adenoids, can result in significantly lower blood pressure within 24 months of the procedure in some children with OSA — a sleep disorder characterised by abnormal pauses in breathing.

According to the researchers, who presented their study at the ATS 2011 Conference, children with enlarged tonsils and adenoids are particularly prone to developing OSA. It has been linked with elevations in both daytime and nighttime blood pressure and it can interfere with the normal “dip” in blood pressure that occur during sleep.