Reasons to have your child's tonsils or adenoids removed

Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Nina Shapiro, MD, shares advice for parents on the various reasons your child may need his or her tonsils or adenoids removed and what age these issues commonly occur
Reasons For Having Your Child's Tonsils Or Adenoids Removed
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Reasons to have your child's tonsils or adenoids removed

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There are several reasons why your child may need their tonsils and adenoids removed. There are 500,000 children that have their tonsils and adenoids removed every year. The most common reason for that is breathing problems at night. These are kids who have loud snoring, gasping during sleep, restlessness, they may be very tired in the morning. This could be due to an enlargement of their tonsils and adenoids. It's a very common problem. Most commonly, we see this in children between the ages of 2 and 6 years old. It certainly can be seen in younger kids or older kids, but those are the most common ages. These children have difficulty sleeping. They may even have something called, sleep apnea, where it is not only snoring, but they are gasping for air at night, they stop breathing for a couple seconds, they take another gasp, and start snoring again. This is very often from the enlargement of their tonsils and adenoids. If you notice that your child is having these problems at night, it should be addressed by your doctor. If it is because of the enlargement of their tonsils and adenoids, they may recommend that they have them removed.

Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Nina Shapiro, MD, shares advice for parents on the various reasons your child may need his or her tonsils or adenoids removed and what age these issues commonly occur

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Nina Shapiro, MD

Pediatric Otolaryngologist

Dr. Nina Shapiro is the Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) and an Associate Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  As the first fellowship-trained pediatric otolaryngologist at the medical center since it was founded in 1955, her presence has put UCLA 'on the map' in her field.  

A graduate of Harvard Medical School and Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences, she also completed her residency training at Harvard.  She then went on to complete additional subspecialty training in pediatric otolaryngology at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, and The Children's Hospital of San Diego.

A native of New York, Shapiro has been honored with several prestigious awards, including the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology Award for Clinical Research, the UCLA Division of Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Teaching Award, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Young Investigators Award.  She has also been named "Super Doctor" by Los Angeles Magazine, and has been listed in "Who's Who in America".  

She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, has edited a pediatric otolaryngology textbook, and is the author of the parenting book Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for the Health of Your Child, releaseded in January 2012. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, and enjoys spending time with them more than anything else in the world.

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Transcription: 
There are several reasons why your child may need their tonsils and adenoids removed. There are 500,000 children that have their tonsils and adenoids removed every year. The most common reason for that is breathing problems at night. These are kids who have loud snoring, gasping during sleep, restlessness, they may be very tired in the morning. This could be due to an enlargement of their tonsils and adenoids. It's a very common problem. Most commonly, we see this in children between the ages of 2 and 6 years old. It certainly can be seen in younger kids or older kids, but those are the most common ages. These children have difficulty sleeping. They may even have something called, sleep apnea, where it is not only snoring, but they are gasping for air at night, they stop breathing for a couple seconds, they take another gasp, and start snoring again. This is very often from the enlargement of their tonsils and adenoids. If you notice that your child is having these problems at night, it should be addressed by your doctor. If it is because of the enlargement of their tonsils and adenoids, they may recommend that they have them removed.