TITLE:
Tonsils Increase in Weight during Growth
AUTHORS:
Susumu Mukai
KEYWORDS:
Sleep Disorder; Gender; Lifespan; Tonsillectomy; Development
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Clinical Medicine,
Vol.4 No.4,
April
30,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Purpose: During my 40 years of performing tonsillectomy, I
have noticed that tonsils
seem to increase in size with aging.
The purpose was to study the relationship between the weight of tonsils and
patients’ age. Subjects and Methods: Tonsillectomies were performed
in 1246 patients diagnosed with sleep disorders with hypertrophied tonsils. The
excised tonsils were weighed. Results: 1) The number of male tonsillectomy cases was 2.3 times
higher than the number of female cases; 2) Most
tonsillectomies were performed in children three to six years of age, and in
adults who were around 30 years old; 3) The
maximum age of the male patients was 57 years and that of the female patients
was 63 years; 4) The weight of tonsils increased
with age in the males, but the maximum weight of female tonsils was reached at
around nine years of age; 5) Tonsils
of males were heavier and larger than those of females of the same age; 6) A high degree of correlation was
observed between the weights of the right and left tonsils of a subject. Conclusions: 1) The
weight of tonsils increased with growth; 2) Tonsils
in males were more hypertrophic than those in females; 3) The age distribution of the cases suggested that the
lifespan of these patients is shorter than the norm; 4) The
ideal age at which to perform tonsillectomy is thought in two to three years; 5) A high degree of corelation eixists between the weight
of the right and left tonsils of a subject.