Objectives: The objective of the study was to establish the incidence of Actinomycosis in the tonsils of children undergoing tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy, and to evaluate its role in clinical tonsillar disease.
Methods: This was a prospective controlled study done at the Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa over an 8-month period and included all children undergoing tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. All resected tonsils were examined for the presence of Actinomycosis and any signs of significant cryptitis or active tonsillitis. A comparison was made in the incidence of Actinomycosis in children with obstructive sleep apnoea, recurrent tonsillitis or obstructive sleep apnoea and recurrent tonsillitis. The data was further analysed to determine the statistical significance of the association between Actinomycosis of the tonsils and age, sex and histopathological and clinical diagnosis.
Results: A total of 344 tonsils were analysed on 172 patients. We found 20 patients (11.6%) with Actinomycosis in the tonsils. The mean age of patients with Actinomycosis was 7.25 years and without Actinomycosis was 5.4 years (p=0.002). Most specimens (16) had no evidence of tissue reaction to Actinomyces, and their presence was found to be due to colonisation of the tonsils only. Actinomycosis was present in 11% of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, 11% of patients with recurrent tonsillitis and in 9% with obstructive sleep apnoea and recurrent tonsillitis. The difference in incidence of Actinomycosis between these three groups (p=0.94), and between the recurrent tonsillitis group alone compared to the obstructive group (p=0.83), was not statistically significant. There was therefore no statistical significance found between Actinomyces and OSA+/- recurrent tonsillitis.
Conclusions: There was no correlation found between the presence of tonsillar Actinomycosis and recurrent tonsillitis and/or obstructive tonsillar hypertrophy. Histopathologic findings showed no evidence of tissue reaction to Actinomyces and its presence was found to be due to colonisation of the tonsils only. The series did however show a statistically significant correlation between Actinomycosis colonisation and age with Actinomycosis being more common in older children, especially those over 5 years of age.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2007.08.021 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Prevalence of electronic smoking exposure and tonsillectomy surgery in children.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol
January 2025
Department of General Surgery, King Abdullah University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Objective: The hypothesis tested was the negative impact of electronic smoke exposure on the developing of respiratory infection, specifically in the upper tract. In this study, we aimed to investigate if smoke exposure increased the number of tonsillectomy surgery in children compared to the hernia repair control group.
Methods: The design of our study was retrospective case-control.
Actinomycosis masquerading as a nasal polyp - a rare entity and diagnostic challenge.
GMS Hyg Infect Control
December 2024
Department of ENT, Sree Balaji Medical college Chromepet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Actinomycosis is an endogenous bacterial infection caused by . This bacterium reside on the mucosa of oral cavity, tonsils, and genitourinary tract. Any insult such as trauma, surgery, or foreign body disrupts the mucosal barrier and gives entry to the underlying tissue to cause disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndications for tracheostomy placement in pediatric patients with cerebral palsy.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol
January 2025
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Division of Otolaryngology, Chicago, IL, USA.
Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common neuromuscular disorder in children, and children with CP are at increased risk of respiratory distress potentially requiring tracheostomy placement. Previous studies have characterized indications for tracheostomy in neurologically compromised children, however no studies focus specifically on children with CP. The purpose of this study was to identify the indications for tracheostomy placement, sites of airway obstruction, and rate of decannulation in children with CP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAwareness and Perceptions of the Impact of Tonsillectomy on the Level of Immunity and Autoimmune Diseases Among the Adult Population in Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Cureus
December 2024
College of Medicine, Qassim University, Unaizah, SAU.
Introduction Tonsils are part of the immune system, but recurrent tonsillitis may necessitate tonsillectomy. While studies show that tonsillectomy reduces throat infections and improves quality of life, it does not significantly affect immunity or increase the risk of autoimmune diseases. Despite this, misconceptions about its impact persist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssessment of recurrent fever among children undergoing tonsillectomy.
BMC Pediatr
December 2024
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
Background: Recurrent tonsillitis is a common indication for tonsillectomy in children and has phenotypic overlap with periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome. We sought to characterize symptoms associated with PFAPA among children undergoing tonsillectomy.
Methods: Parents/guardians of children undergoing tonsillectomy at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital over a six-week period were queried regarding symptoms of recurrent fever.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!