Stockholm, Sweden

A new study has revealed that surgical removal of tonsils as a child can increase the risk of developing an anxiety-related disorder later in life.

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In the US, around 300,000 children get their tonsils removed surgically to reduce recurrent infections or improve breathing while sleeping. 

Researchers from Guangxi Medical University in China and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden discovered that tonsillectomy led to a 43 per cent increased risk of developing mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after examining data on over a million people from Swedish health registry.

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While this observational study could not pinpoint the cause of it, the analysis revealed a significant risk even after considering the sex, age when their tonsils were removed, family history of stress-related disorders, and socioeconomic status of their parents.

According to the researchers, “These findings suggest a potential role of adenotonsillar diseases or associated health conditions in the development of stress-related disorders.”

“We found that although the risk increase appeared to be greatest during the first years following surgery, an increased risk of stress-related disorders was still noted more than 20 years after the surgery.”

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The study, which was published in JAMA Network Open, showed an increased risk of 55 per cent for developing PTSD for those who had tonsillectomies in their early years, compared with those who hadn’t.

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The scientists also studied samples while considering genetic and environmental factors, which revealed a greater risk of anxiety disorders of 34 per cent for those family members who had their tonsils removed.

While we do not necessarily need tonsils to live, they help the body fight infections and their absence can make us more susceptible to developing certain health conditions, including anxiety-related disorders and persistent inflammation.

Previous studies have indicated that tonsillectomy may increase the risk of other health problems like cancer and autoimmune diseases.

The research team also highlighted, “If our findings here are validated in future studies of independent study populations, mechanistic studies would be needed to disentangle the role of human tonsils and their diseases, via inflammation or other associated health conditions, in the development of psychiatric disorders in general and stress-related disorders specifically.”

(With inputs from agencies)