Everyone's Health

1. Remove Tonsils.
2. Sleep well.
3. Behave better

Though less common today thanks to antibiotics, adenotonsillectomies are still an effective way to treat chronic throat and ear problems in children. More than 400,000 children undergo the surgical procedure each year, according to one estimate.

There may be another benefit, however, besides unlimited amounts of ice cream during recovery. A University of Michigan study, published in the journal Pediatrics, suggests that removing troublesome tonsils, adenoids or both may relieve childhood behavioral problems, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Researchers studied 78 children scheduled for adenotonsillectomies and 27 who were having other kinds of surgeries. All of the children underwent testing for sleep and breathing patterns, plus assessments of their behavior and ability to concentrate. Twenty-two of the 78 children getting adenotonsillectomies were deemed more likely to be hyperactive and have behavior and sleep problems. Just two of the 27 control kids fell into that group.

One year after the surgeries, researchers reported that just eight children (one from the control group) had sleep problems. Only 11 of the 22 children diagnosed with ADHD still showed signs of the disorder.

Though the sample size was too small to make sweeping conclusions, lead researcher Dr. Ronald D. Chervin said the study suggests that sleep problems, which often go undiagnosed in kids, may be connected to behavioral problems.

“ADHD probably has many different causes in different people,” Chervin told The New York Times. But “it certainly is worth bringing this up with a pediatrician. My guess is that treating an underlying sleep disorder could end up helping a significant minority of children with ADHD.”

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