How many adenoids does a person have

Home Ear nose and throat. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Swollen adenoids can block the nose Complications of infected adenoids Treatment for infected adenoids Where to get help Things to remember.

Swollen adenoids can block the nose Since adenoids are constantly in the path of germs micro-organisms , infections are common. Symptoms of infected adenoids include: breathing through the mouth snoring when asleep talking with a 'blocked nose' sound the inability to pronounce certain consonants, including 'm' and 'n' dry and sore throat because of breathing through the mouth this is often a problem in the morning after sleeping with the mouth open yellow or green mucous coming from the nose.

Complications of infected adenoids Infections of the adenoids can cause a variety of complications, including: Middle ear infections - the adenoids are right at the end of the tubes from the middle ear to the throat the Eustachian tubes.

Infections can spread up to the ears from the adenoids and cause middle ear infections, which can affect hearing. Glue ear - the swollen adenoids block the Eustachian tubes and prevent the normal mucous, which is made each day in the middle ear, from draining away. A build-up of sticky mucous interferes with the movements of the tiny bones in the middle ear, affecting hearing. Sinusitis - the air-filled cavities of the skull may also become infected.

Chest infections - bacteria or viruses can infect other sites, such as the bronchi bronchitis or lungs pneumonia. Vomiting - the child may swallow a great deal of pus, generally at night while sleeping, which may be vomited in the morning. Treatment for infected adenoids What is done to treat infected adenoids depends on whether the child is ill or not, and what other effects the infected adenoids are causing. Your doctor may recommend having the adenoids removed adenoidectomy if: your child has recurrent ear infections, which are interfering with language development your child is often unwell your child, or an older person, has large adenoids that are interfering with breathing, especially at night.

Adenoidectomy Surgery to remove the adenoids is done under general anaesthetic. Where to get help Your doctor Pharmacist Ear, nose and throat specialist Things to remember The adenoids are lymph nodes located in the throat behind the nose. Infected adenoids can cause other health problems, including middle ear infections, sinusitis and difficulty with breathing, especially at night. Infected adenoids are rarely treated by themselves.

But they become less important as a kid gets older and the body develops other ways to fight germs. Adenoids usually shrink after about age 5, and by the teenage years they often practically disappear.

Because adenoids trap germs that enter the body, adenoid tissue sometimes temporarily swells gets puffier as it tries to fight off an infection. The swelling sometimes gets better, but sometimes adenoids can get infected.

At the doctor's office, the doctor will ask you how things feel in your ears, nose, and throat, and then take a look at these parts. Your doctor will also feel your neck near your jaw. To check the size of your adenoids, your doctor might ask you to get an X-ray or look in your nose with a tiny telescope. If it looks like your adenoids are infected, the doctor may give you an antibiotic a germ-fighting medicine. Sometimes doctors recommend removing the adenoids if medicine doesn't help or if they're making a kid sick a lot.

This means going into the hospital and having a surgery called an adenoidectomy say: ad-eh-noy-DEK-teh-me. Sometimes, tonsils and adenoids are removed at the same time. This means a kid has a tonsillectomy say: tahn-suh-LEK-tuh-me and an adenoidectomy. Both are common surgeries for kids to have. If symptoms are persistent, the doctor may then recommend surgery to remove the adenoids. This surgery is called an adenoidectomy. Adenoids tend to be largest during early childhood, after which they begin to shrink.

For most people, the adenoids become very small or disappear once they reach their teenage years. As a result, adenoid removal mostly occurs in young children. However, adults may occasionally require adenoid removal if there is a possibility of cancer or a tumor on the adenoids.

Most of the time, enlarged adenoids affect children. Infants and younger children may not be able to express that they are in pain or are experiencing other symptoms of enlarged adenoids.

Some signs to look out for in babies and children include:. This procedure may be beneficial if one or more of the following problems are occurring:. Doctors usually place children under general anesthesia during adenoid removal, which means that they will be sleeping and unable to feel any pain. It is important to avoid all food and drink for several hours before surgery to prevent vomiting during the procedure. For the adenoidectomy, surgeons use an instrument to see inside the throat and nasal cavity.

They can access the adenoids through the back of the throat, so they do not need to make any external incisions. The surgeon will cauterize or cut away the adenoid tissue. In most cases, the surgery takes less than an hour, and the child can go home on the same day if there are no complications.

Children who are very young, have certain higher-risk conditions, or have any trouble breathing may need to stay in the hospital overnight for observation. In many cases, a doctor may remove the tonsils along with the adenoids.

The tonsils are also glands that help protect against germs. However, they sit in the back of the throat rather than behind the nose. Sometimes, both the tonsils and adenoids become swollen and infected. The removal of both glands at the same time is known as a tonsilloadenoidectomy. Not everyone who needs an adenoidectomy will require tonsil removal and vice versa.

Children who tend to have swelling of both the tonsils and adenoids may be good candidates for a tonsilloadenoidectomy. Surgeons perform around , adenoid removals each year in the United States.

Adenoid removal surgery is generally safe, and healthy children will have a low risk of complications.