What a father most desires is for his son to grow and develop in good health, that nobody doubts. But it is also important to know that it is during the first years of life when our immune system is in the process of learning to defend the organism against viruses and bacteria that attack our body, and one of those defenses are angina.
Anginas, also known as tonsillitis, is one of the first reasons for pediatric consultation, as well as one of the most frequent causes of childhood surgery. But at present there is no unanimous criterion when deciding which children could benefit from the removal of angina. According to this, many parents will wonder then When should I operate my angina child?.
It is true that some years ago they were eliminated without any problem, at the minimum indication of inflammation, but recently this enthusiasm has been decreasing mainly because, contrary to popular belief, angina fulfills an important mission as part of the immune system of our body.
What are tonsils?
The tonsils are masses of lymphoid tissue; that is, its functions are related to the cleanliness and defense of the human body, since they contain cells that produce antibodies useful in the fight against infections. They have an oval shape, are fleshy and large in size, being located on the side wall of the back of the mouth, on each side of the throat.
Therefore, tonsillitis or angina is the inflammation of these masses. There are many causes, viruses and highly contagious bacteria, for tonsillitis, the bacteria being Streptococcus pyogenes The most common cause of tonsillitis. But Cytomegalovirus or Herpes simplex virus can also cause tonsillitis.
We should know that having inflamed angina is very normal in young children. If our son had angina, we would notice that he has a high fever, severe sore throat (which could also influence the ears, making it difficult to open and close the mouth), swallowing difficulties and headache. If we ask you to open your mouth, we could see how his throat turns reddish, being able to observe very large angles, sensitive to touch and contact with food or liquids, and covered by plates (some spots or spots of white-yellowish color that cover the surface of the tonsils).
Treatment
In most cases, children who have tonsillitis either remit spontaneously (especially in children under three years old) or, otherwise, receive a antibiotic treatment which usually works quite well, not having to consider surgery for permanent elimination.
However, when the child does not exceed approximately six repeated episodes of angina having been treated with antibiotics and following the instructions of the pediatrician for a year, the specialist is usually used to assess the severity of the case and conclude if the child needs surgery or not. It's very important check that the inflammation is of bacterial origin and that it has been treated correctly with medications.
On the other hand, the problems of respiratory obstruction, caused by an exaggerated growth of the tonsils, are also a cause of concern for parents, and also often ask doctors if it is suitable to operate their children. The enlargement of the tonsils causes the child to snore, may have obstructive sleep apnea or swallowing difficulties. However, it should always be the specialist who assesses whether the size of the angina is really too large or can be considered normal.
This question regarding the size of angina is that they are relatively larger during the first years of life. This is why parents are often advised to postpone surgery until they are five or six years old, as this is when there is usually a decrease in angina size.
So ... when is it operated?
Currently the trend is to operate only when strictly necessary, giving priority to those cases that do not respond to medications, although among autonomous communities the criteria also differ.
The angina operation, called tonsillectomy, does not last more than 5 minutes, but our child must remain half an hour in the operating room to carry out the necessary surgical process. You can usually go home on the same day, but sometimes minimum hospitalization is recommended until the next day to observe the evolution.
If stitches have been given, the child can eat normally; otherwise, a special diet should be followed. In addition, in both cases, it is recommended to avoid hot and hard meals (do you remember when our friends told us that they operated on angina that did not stop giving them ice cream after the operation?).
During the first week after the operation, medical checks will be carried out to verify that everything has gone as planned. Gradually the child will begin to regain appetite and normalize sleep; In addition, having changed the resonance of the mouth to extract the angina, the voice will also gradually normalize.
In conclusion, we could say that given the question that many parents ask about When should I operate my angina child?, the answer is the following: when the doctor considers it strictly necessary, since the tonsils play a very important role in our body, and we must not forget that the health of our children is very important.
