Asthma impairs breathing after tonsillectomy

Children, who have asthma before they undergo tonsillectomy for obstructive sleep apneoa (OSA), have an increased risk of developing breathing problems later. OSA occurs when tissues at the back of the throat temporarily block the airway during sleep. These periods when breathing stops disrupts normal sleep resulting in severe daytime sleepiness. Researchers from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Ohio found that about 25 percent of children who undergo tonsillectomy for OSA experience postoperative respiratory complications. But the effect of asthma on these complications has been less clear. The researching team compared 115 children who had breathing complications with 115 children without complications after they underwent tonsillectomy for obstructive breathing during sleep. Children with asthma were four times more likely to develop serious breathing complications after tonsillectomy than other children, even after accounting for factors that could have contributed to the difference such as age, sex, and all other medical conditions besides asthma. Boys were twice more likely to have complications than girls. The findings suggest that the recognition of asthma, a common childhood disease, as a risk factor for respiratory complications after tonsillectomy is important in understanding the mechanisms of postoperative respiratory complications in children with obstructive breathing during sleep and in providing care for children who undergo tonsillectomy.