Can an adult need a tonsillectomy? Discover the reasons for tonsil removal, how to prepare, the surgical process, potential risks, and recovery timeline for adults undergoing this procedure.

Understanding Tonsillectomy: When is it Needed for Adults?

A tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the tonsils, two clumps of tissue located at the back of the upper throat. While tonsil removal is commonly associated with children, adults can also require this operation for various reasons.

Common Reasons for Adult Tonsillectomies

The most common reason for an adult tonsillectomy is chronic throat infection, also known as recurrent tonsillitis. Adults who have had several sore throats over the course of 1 to 3 years or have experienced a persistent sore throat and swollen tonsils due to infection for at least 3 months may be candidates for tonsil removal. Even if the sore throat improves with antibiotics, the condition often returns once the treatment is complete.

Other reasons an adult may need a tonsillectomy include:

• Obstructive sleep apnea caused by swollen tonsils blocking the upper airway
• Persistent bad breath due to a buildup of pus and debris in the tonsil area
• Cancer that has spread from the head or neck region

Research indicates that women are about twice as likely as men to undergo a tonsillectomy as adults.

Preparing for an Adult Tonsillectomy

Before the procedure, your doctor will want to know about any medications or supplements you are currently taking, including over-the-counter drugs like aspirin, as well as any personal or family history of anesthetic reactions or bleeding disorders. You may be advised to stop taking certain medications, such as aspirin, ginkgo biloba, and St. John’s wort, for a period of time before the surgery.

Additionally, you will be instructed to refrain from eating or drinking anything after midnight the night before the procedure, with the exception of small amounts of approved liquids, as directed by your doctor.

The Tonsillectomy Procedure for Adults

The tonsillectomy surgery typically takes 30 to 45 minutes and is performed under general anesthesia, ensuring you are asleep and pain-free during the procedure. The surgeon may use a scalpel, or a tool that utilizes heat, sound waves (ultrasound), laser, or cold temperatures to gently remove the tonsils. In some cases, the adenoids, which are part of the immune system and sit behind the nose and roof of the mouth, may also be removed in a separate procedure called an adenoidectomy.

Recovering from an Adult Tonsillectomy

After the surgery, your vital signs will be closely monitored as you wake up from the anesthesia. You may experience side effects such as nausea, vomiting, pain in the ears, neck, or jaw, a mild fever, and a sensation of something being stuck in your throat. These are all common during the recovery process.

Most adults need about two weeks to fully recover from a tonsillectomy. During this time, it’s important to watch for any signs of complications, such as dehydration, infection, excessive bleeding, or difficulty breathing, and to contact your doctor if any concerns arise.

Potential Risks and Complications of Adult Tonsillectomy

While tonsillectomy is generally considered a safe procedure for adults, there are some potential risks and complications that can occur, including:

• Dehydration
• Infection (rare, but a small risk with most surgeries)
• Persistent pain
• Pneumonia
• Excessive bleeding (hemorrhaging), which is rare but can happen during the healing process
• Swelling, particularly in the first few hours after surgery, which can make breathing more difficult

Adults with a history of pus-filled tonsil infections (peritonsillar abscesses) or those who have used antibiotics frequently in the past year are more likely to experience these complications.

Will the Tonsil Problem Return After Surgery?

In most cases, the removal of the tonsils effectively resolves the underlying issue, whether it was chronic infection, obstructive sleep apnea, or persistent bad breath. However, in rare instances, the tonsil problem may return, and further medical intervention may be necessary.

Can an Adult Need a Tonsillectomy?

Written by Kelli Miller

• What Is a Tonsillectomy?
• Reasons for Tonsillectomies
• How Do I Get Ready?
• Adult Tonsillectomy Procedure
• Right After Your Tonsillectomy 
• Adult Tonsillectomy Risks and Complications
• Tonsillectomy Recovery
• When Should I Call the Doctor?
• Will My Tonsil Problem Return?
• More

A tonsillectomy is surgery to have your tonsils removed. Children who have sore throats often or who snore might have their tonsils taken out. But tonsillectomies aren’t just for kids. Adults can need them, too. It’s done the same way in children and adults, but an adult’s risks and recovery can be different.

Your tonsils are two clumps of tissue that sit in the back of your upper throat. They’re a part of your immune system. They trap germs that get into your body through your mouth or nose.

Your tonsils can be swollen or become infected. If you’ve ever had strep throat, you likely had an infection in your tonsils. Getting infections often can cause breathing problems or sore throats that don’t go away.

Reasons you might have your tonsils removed as an adult include:

• Chronic throat infection, which is the most common reason. Adults who have the surgery usually have had several sore throats over 1 to 3 years or have had a sore throat and swollen tonsils caused by infection for at least 3 months. Your sore throat might get better with antibiotics, but it comes back as soon as you’re done with the treatment.
• Obstructive sleep apnea (if a blockage of your upper airway is caused by swollen tonsils)
• Bad breath that doesn’t go away (if caused by a collection of pus and debris in your tonsil area)
• Cancer (spread from your head or neck area)

Research shows that women are more likely than men to have tonsillectomies. One study shows they’re twice as likely to have the procedure.

Your doctor will want to know about any medicines or supplements you take. This includes over-the-counter medications, such as aspirin, as well as herbs and vitamins.

Your doctor may tell you to stop taking certain medicines. For example, 2 weeks before surgery, you won’t be able to take:

• Aspirin or any medicines that have aspirin
• Ginkgo biloba
• St. John’s wort

Your doctor will also ask about:

• Your reactions or allergies to medicines
• Problems that you or your family members have had with drugs used for anesthesia
• Bleeding problems that you or your family members have, such as issues with blood clotting

Starting at midnight the night before the surgery, you won’t be able to eat anything. You may be able to have some liquids, but check with your doctor to see what’s allowed.

The procedure takes about 30 to 45 minutes. You’ll be given general anesthesia, so you’ll be asleep and pain-free during the surgery. Some people react to the drugs or gasses used for this. That’s why your doctor will ask you lots of questions about your medical history.

The surgeon might use a small knife called a scalpel to gently remove your tonsils. Or they might prefer a tool that uses heat, sound waves (ultrasound), laser, or cold temperatures. They work just as well, and your recovery time is the same with all of them.

You might also have your adenoids taken out at the same time. They’re also part of your immune system, and they sit behind your nose and the roof of your mouth. This part of the surgery is called an adenoidectomy.

Right after surgery, your health care team will watch your vital signs — such as heart rate and breathing — to make sure nothing goes wrong. As you wake up, you might feel sick to your stomach or even throw up. That’s part of the anesthesia wearing off and is common. If you’re doing well after a few hours, you’ll likely be sent home to recover. But if you have a lot of bleeding, bad vomiting, trouble breathing, or other issues, you’ll probably stay in the hospital overnight.

You also might notice a few common things:

• Pain in your ears, neck, or jaw
• Pain in your throat
• Bad breath
• A mild fever for a few days
• Nausea or vomiting for a few days
• Swelling in your throat or tongue
• A feeling like something is stuck in your throat

A tonsillectomy is considered a safe procedure for adults. But all surgery comes with risks. A 2014 report found that 1 in 5 adults who had their tonsils taken out had some kind of problem afterward. These included:

• Dehydration
• Infection. This is rare, but it’s a small risk with most surgeries.
• Pain
• Pneumonia
• Too much bleeding (hemorrhaging). It’s rare. You may also have bleeding as you heal.
• Swelling. In the first few hours after surgery, your tongue and the roof of your mouth may puff up, which makes breathing harder.

You’re a lot more likely to have one of these issues if you have:

• A history of pus collecting on your tonsils (peritonsillar abscess)
• Another health problem
• Used antibiotics often in the past year

Adults need about 2 weeks to recover from this surgery. These tips can help you feel your best while you recover:

• Take your pain medication as your doctor prescribed. The pain will be worse right after surgery — it should start to go away after the first week. Almost everyone gets a sore throat. You may also hurt in your ear, neck, or jaw. Your doctor will let you know what medicines you can take for relief. Call your doctor if your pain gets worse instead of better.
• Suck on ice cubes or ice pops to help with throat pain.
• Drink plenty of water, apple juice, and other clear fluids to stay hydrated.
• Drink smoothies or eat soft foods to make sure you get enough nutrition. The food you eat should be bland and easy to swallow. Applesauce or similar soft foods are great for right after a tonsillectomy. You can add easy-to-chew foods as soon as you’re ready. But avoid spicy, acidic, crunchy, or hard foods.
• Don’t try to do too much too soon after surgery. Get plenty of rest so your body can recover. Stay away from intense activity like working out for 2 weeks after your tonsillectomy.

Generally, you’re ready to get back to your usual routine when you can eat and drink as usual, when you sleep through the night, and when you don’t need medicine for pain.

Symptoms such as pain, snoring, and fever under 102 F are normal after surgery. But call your doctor if you notice:

• You have signs of dehydration: You don’t have to pee often, and you feel weak, dizzy, lightheaded, or have a headache. This could mean you haven’t had enough fluids.
• You have a fever 102 F or higher. It may be a sign of infection.
• You throw up or still feel sick to your stomach more than 12 hours after surgery

Go to the emergency room if you have:

• Trouble breathing
• Any bleeding (Small amounts of dark blood in your nose or spit are normal, but bright red blood means you need to see a doctor. )

Most adults who have their tonsils taken out because of chronic infection say they:

• Have fewer sore throats
• Don’t have to use antibiotics as often
• Miss fewer days at work
• Have fewer doctor’s visits
• Have better general health

Your surgeon will perform your tonsillectomy as an outpatient surgery, meaning you’ll be able to go home the same day. You’ll only stay at the hospital overnight if there are problems with your surgery or you have a complex medical condition.

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Tonsillectomy (for Teens) – Nemours KidsHealth

en español: Amigdalectomía

Reviewed by: Patrick C. Barth, MD

What Is a Tonsillectomy?

A tonsillectomy is surgery to remove the tonsils. Tonsils are lumps of tissue on both sides of the back of the throat that help the immune system protect the body from infections.

Tonsillectomy (pronounced: tahn-suh-LEK-tuh-mee) is one of the most common surgeries teens get. But they’re done less often than in the past because large tonsils often shrink on their own over time.

Why Are Tonsillectomies Done?

Teens usually have a tonsillectomy because:

1. Their tonsils are so big they block the airway and make it hard to breathe. Swollen tonsils can make it hard to breathe, especially during sleep. Someone might snore and stop breathing for short periods while asleep when the tonsils get in the way. This is called obstructive sleep apnea. Apnea can make someone miss out on healthy, restful sleep, and even lead to health problems.
2. Their tonsils get infected often. A health care provider might recommend removing the tonsils if someone gets a lot of tonsil infections (called tonsillitis). Experts define “a lot” as when a doctor diagnoses the person with at least 7 infections a year, more than 5 infections a year for 2 years in a row, or three infections a year for 3 years.

What Happens Before a Tonsillectomy?

Your health care provider will let you know if you should stop taking any medicine in the week or two before the surgery. You’ll also be told when to stop eating and drinking because your stomach must be empty on the day of the procedure.

What Happens During a Tonsillectomy?

An ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon will do the surgery while you’re under general anesthesia. This means an anesthesiologist will keep you safely and comfortably asleep during the procedure.

The surgery is done through your open mouth. There are no cuts through the skin and no visible scars.

The two main types of tonsillectomy surgery are:

1. Traditional tonsillectomy: Both tonsils are completely removed.
2. Intracapsular tonsillectomy: The surgeon removes all the affected tonsil tissue, but leaves a small layer to protect the throat muscles underneath. There’s a very slight chance that the remaining tissue can re-grow or become infected and need more tonsil surgery, but this isn’t common.
   If you have this type of surgery, you will:
   • recover faster
   • have less pain
   • not need as much pain medicine
   • have a lower risk of bleeding
   • be better able to eat and drink after the procedure

How Long Does a Tonsillectomy Take?

A tonsillectomy usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes, though it can take a little longer.

What Happens After the Tonsillectomy?

You’ll wake up in the recovery area, where your parents can join you. Many teens go home the same day, though some may stay overnight.

Depending on the type of surgery done, recovery after a tonsillectomy may take a week or longer. Expect some pain and discomfort after the tonsils are removed, which can make it hard to eat and drink.

Are There Any Risks From Tonsillectomy?

There are risks with any surgery, including infection and problems with anesthesia.

Some people might get dehydrated from not drinking enough when they go home, and may need to come back to the hospital for fluids.

Rarely, bleeding might happen during the surgery, right after it, or up to 2 weeks later. Call the doctor right away if you cough up, throw up, or spit out bright red blood or blood clots. Doctors might need to do another procedure to stop the bleeding.

How Can I Feel Better?

Take pain medicine as directed by your health care provider.

Rest at home for a few days following surgery and take it easy for a couple of weeks. You can return to school when you can eat normally, are sleeping well, and don’t need pain medicine.

Get plenty to drink, and eat soft foods like pudding, soup, gelatin, or mashed potatoes until you’re ready for solid foods.

 For 2 weeks after surgery, avoid blowing your nose and don’t play contact sports.

When Should I Call the Doctor?

Call the doctor if you:

• get a fever
• vomit after the first day or after taking medicine
• have a sore throat despite taking pain medicine
• can’t drink enough liquids

Call the doctor right away if you vomit blood or something that looks like coffee grounds, or have trouble breathing.

What Else Should I Know?

After tonsillectomy, you can still get colds, sore throats, and throat infections. But you won’t get tonsillitis unless the tonsils grow back, which is uncommon.

Even though the tonsils are part of the immune system, removing them doesn’t affect your body’s ability to fight infections. The immune system has many other ways to fight germs.

Reviewed by: Patrick C. Barth, MD

Date reviewed: June 2019

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Do adults need to have their tonsils removed?

The tonsils, which are composed of lymphoid tissue, are a defense that helps prevent allergies and the entry of pathogenic viruses and bacteria into the body. In addition, the tonsils are involved in processes such as hematopoiesis and protein synthesis.

Why tonsils become inflamed and sore throat symptoms

Various pathogenic microorganisms that enter the body by airborne droplets contribute to the development of the inflammatory process in the tonsils. Also, a sore throat can begin due to internal foci of any infection (caries, boils, sinusitis). The course of the disease is aggravated by factors such as dirty air, dust and smoke. Untimely access to a doctor in such cases can lead to the removal of tonsils in adults.

Angina is characterized by the following symptoms:

• hyperemia and sharp pain in the throat;
• fever;
• painful sensation during swallowing;
• aches appear, affecting the joints and muscles;
• general feeling unwell and loss of appetite;
• lymph nodes are enlarged;
• tonsils covered with a whitish coating.

The diagnosis is made by an ENT specialist, taking into account the initial examination and a number of tests.

Indications for removal of tonsils in adults

Can adults remove tonsils? Yes, the decision to remove the tonsils in adults is made by the attending physician. Tonsillectomy is carried out with:

• enlarged lymph nodes, if antibiotics do not help in the treatment;
• regular exacerbations of tonsillitis;
• abscesses in the nasopharynx;
• recurrent pustular diseases of the skin and ears;
• difficulty in breathing and swallowing due to swelling;
• infectious diseases affecting the kidneys and urinary tract, joints, heart;
• chronic sinusitis;
• failure of conservative therapy;
• hoarse.

In general, failure to remove tonsils in adults in the above cases can lead to serious consequences.

Before surgery, a comprehensive examination is carried out, during which the specialist in the field of otolaryngology makes the appropriate decision and chooses the method of the operation.

Tonsillectomy can be performed using classical, laser, radio wave and ultrasound techniques. Surgery is performed using anesthesia. After the procedure, the patient must follow the home regimen, reduce physical activity and adjust his diet according to the recommendations of the treating specialist.

Benefits of tonsillectomy for adults

Should adults remove tonsils? The operation has its advantages. Removal of the tonsils allows you to get rid of the source of infection, so that the patient is no longer regularly disturbed by diseases that affect the respiratory system. In addition, the risk of diseases such as rheumatism, myocarditis, pyelonephritis and pathologies affecting the thyroid gland is reduced. Whether it is possible for adults to remove tonsils, in the end, only the doctor decides, who weighs all the risks and benefits of the operation.

Should my tonsils be removed? — Medical Center “Healer”

April 12, 2022

April 12, 2022

Should my tonsils be removed?

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It should be understood that if we are talking about chronic tonsillitis, then experts divide it into compensated and decompensated forms. Much depends on this in the choice of treatment method. Because otherwise, this disease can cause many serious complications.

When is surgery necessary?

If the form of tonsillitis is compensated and there are no autoimmune symptoms, then it can be cured with medication. An experienced otolaryngologist in such cases will never advise surgical removal of the tonsils. Although the palatine tonsils themselves often become a source of infection, despite the fact that their direct function is to protect our body and protect it.

But in those cases when there comes a stage at which they are already a source of infection, then, of course, they have an adverse effect on distant organs and systems of the human body, including:

• the immune system;
• cardiovascular system;
• excretory system.

In such cases, of course, the tonsils must be removed.

The European Association of Otorhinolaryngologists has established a rule according to which, if a patient has 6 or more exacerbations of the disease during the year, then chronic tonsillitis is subject to mandatory surgical treatment.

Do not start the disease

Very often we see a situation where people live with chronic inflammation throughout their lives. Many of them, upon reaching the age of 50-60, due to existing health problems, seek medical help at the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery. Bakulev in Moscow. They are examined by specialists from different fields, including: cardiologists, rheumatic cardiologists. As a result, doctors come to the conclusion that the source of all the troubles of such patients is the palatine tonsils, which must be removed.

As a result, these patients visit an otorhinolaryngologist and we remove their tonsils. But to such a stage, decompensated, it is better not to allow. It needs to be examined in a timely manner. Already in childhood, adolescence, the child must be examined in the clinic by an ENT doctor. Then it will be possible, including in our clinics “Healer” in Makhachkala, to pass some tests, for example, for C-reactive protein, for antistreptolysin, and based on their results, the doctor will decide whether it is necessary to remove the tonsils or not?