Tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and adenotonsillectomy rates in school-aged children: Relative contributions of socio-demographic and clinical features

Objectives: The present study sought to investigate the frequencies of tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and both adenotonsillectomy (T&A) among 6-12 years old children. In addition, we tried to find out the predictors associated with these previous upper respiratory tract (URT) surgeries. Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of 1900 children educated in 3 different elementary schools in Ankara, Turkey. Data about demographics and health conditions were obtained from survey questionnaires completed by parents. Results: Of the 1900 children, 15 children (0.8%) previously underwent tonsillectomy, 43 children (2.3%) had adenoidectomy and 80 children (4.2%) had T&A surgical histories. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that older students compared to younger ones [odds ratio (OR) = 1.15, p = 0.0111, and those who had parent-reported apnea compared to subjects without apnea were more likely to have URT surgery histories [OR = 2.34, p = 0.0011. Those children with surgery histories were more likely to have fathers with a higher educational level [medium level: OR = 2.07, p = 0.012; high level: OR = 2.79, p = 0.001 vs. low level) and the subjects had greater BMI percentiles [overweight: OR = 1.71, p = 0.036; obesity: OR = 2.32, p = 0.003 vs. healthy weight]. Children who had 1-2 URT infections per year [OR = 0.47, p = 0.019] had less probability of URT surgery histories, whereas those children with AOM >= 3 times per year [OR = 2.52, p = 0.003] had more probability of URT surgery history. Conclusions: We conclude that a reasonable explanation for higher rates of URT surgery among children with a high level of paternal education may originate from their awareness about URT associated diseases and possibly due to the ease of access to health care services. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.