What are tonsils used for

Tonsils have long been mistakenly believed to be useless, but recent studies have found that they secrete many special antibodies and immune cells during our childhood. Simply from this perspective, it is indeed useful, but if it is seriously infected, it is better to remove it. At this time, its effect is not as great as the harm it causes. Moreover, once the tonsils are infected, the patient will have difficulty breathing, swallowing food, and even speaking.

In the past, due to insufficient understanding of the function of tonsils, they were considered to be a useless organ in the human body, just like the appendix. Therefore, some doctors advocated the removal of children's tonsils. Research in recent years has shown that tonsils contain lymphoid tissue, plasma cells, and T cells and B cells involved in cellular immunity; they can produce various immunoglobulins and special antibodies; they can also secrete interferon to inhibit bacterial growth. Therefore, it is the body's defense organ and participates in the body's immune function network. Its immunity is most active in children aged 3 to 5 years old. Therefore, tonsillectomy should be performed with caution in children under 5 years old.

From the perspective of immune theory, tonsils are indeed very useful. However, from a treatment perspective, if the tonsils are severely infected and repeatedly inflamed, it will affect the function of the Eustachian tube and hearing; or cause recurrent attacks of arthritis, rheumatism, asthma and other diseases. At this time, tonsils are not only unhealthy but also bring more pain to the human body, so tonsillectomy should be performed. Generally speaking, it is normal for tonsils to be physiologically enlarged in children. When this physiological enlargement affects breathing, swallowing and pronunciation, the tonsils should be surgically removed.

Tonsillectomy should also be performed if one of the following situations occurs. One is repeated fever, sore throat, and pus spots on the tonsils. Patients who have 3 to 4 attacks per year or more and have attacks for 2 to 3 consecutive years. Second, patients with acute tonsillitis who have difficulty opening their mouths and who develop abscesses around their tonsils require surgery even if it only happens once. 3. Patients with chronic tonsillitis that causes rheumatic heart disease, arthritis and glomerulonephritis. Despite this, the medical community has become increasingly cautious about tonsillectomy in recent years, especially for young children.