Pediatric adenoid hypertrophy is a relatively common disease in children, caused by adenoid hyperplasia, and it is important for parents to understand the adenoids and their relationship to childhood diseases. The adenoids are located in the posterior wall of the nasopharynx and are a type of lymphatic tissue that is shaped like a peeled orange with an uneven surface and five to six longitudinal grooves that are prone to harboring viruses and bacteria. Adenoids generally grow to their maximum size around the age of 6 and begin to shrink after the age of 10 to 12. The relationship between adenoid hyperplasia and childhood diseases 1, triggering upper respiratory tract infections When children’s body resistance is reduced, such as cold and flu, viruses and bacteria can easily reproduce here to trigger acute adenoiditis. The manifestation is sudden high fever, severe nasal congestion, breathing difficulties, and if the adenoids are repeatedly inflamed, there will be pathological hyperplasia. In children, the nasopharynx is relatively small, and adenoid hypertrophy can cause nasal congestion, open-mouth breathing, and snoring. Nasal congestion can also cause nasal snot to flow backwards toward the pharynx and irritate the mucous membrane of the lower respiratory tract, triggering coughing and decreased resistance. Therefore, children with adenoid hyperplasia are prone to infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract. In children, adenoid hypertrophy can cause inflammation of the nasal cavity and sinuses that cannot be easily drained, which can cause exudative otitis media by compressing or blocking the eustachian tube (the passage between the middle ear cavity and the nasal cavity), and it has been reported that the incidence of exudative otitis media in children with obstructive sleep apnea hypoventilation syndrome can reach 74.3%. Therefore, children with obstructive sleep apnea hypoventilation syndrome (OSAHS) should be more alert to exudative otitis media. Long-term nasal congestion can lead to lack of oxygen to the brain, mental depression, headache, dizziness, memory loss, and slow reaction. 2, leading to developmental disorders Long-term open-mouth breathing, under the impact of airflow, the hard palate high arch, facial developmental deformation, adenoid face appear short and thick upper lip cocking, lower jaw sagging, upper incisors protruding, poor bite, etc.. Due to the restricted movement of facial muscles, the child’s face lacks expression, which is called “adenoid face” in medical science. During sleep, children are forced to open their mouths to breathe due to nasal congestion, and the gas constantly impacts the tongue and the pendulous tissues, resulting in a snoring sound with breathing, which can cause lack of oxygen to the brain during sleep, which not only affects the child’s intellectual development, but also affects the secretion of growth hormones, resulting in short stature. If parents find that their children often have nasal congestion or snore during sleep, they should take their children to the ENT department for a checkup to see if there is adenoid hyperplasia in their children. Adenoid examination in children is often done by fiber or electronic nasopharyngoscopy and lateral nasopharyngeal film, which can clarify the size of adenoids. Treatment The best treatment for adenoid hypertrophy is currently surgical removal. The age of the child is not a key factor in deciding whether to operate, but rather the degree of adenoid hypertrophy, the degree of impact on breathing, and the duration of the medical history. If the child already has an “adenoid face”, it is difficult to turn the “ugly duckling” into a “white swan” even with immediate surgery. If the child has already developed an “adenoid face”, it is difficult to turn the “ugly duckling” into a “white swan” even with immediate surgery, but at least it will not continue to affect the child’s physical and intellectual development.