Adenoid hypertrophy – a source disease that cannot be ignored

  Long-term clinical practice and related studies have found that, as the earliest source factor, various types of rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, obstructive sleep apnea hypoventilation syndrome and other obstructive diseases of the upper respiratory tract can complicate or aggravate the risk of developing chronic diseases such as hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus on the basis of causing metabolic disorders in the body.  As early as childhood, adenoid (also known as proliferative) hypertrophy is both the result of recurrent nasal-sinus infections and one of the causes of nasal-sinus infections that do not heal, which, if left untreated, can both affect the function of the eustachian tube and induce middle ear disorders, leading to hearing impairment. If left untreated, it can affect the function of the eustachian tube and lead to middle ear disorders and hearing impairment.  First, during sleep, ventilation dysfunction can cause intermittent hypoxemia and long-term intermittent hypoxia, which can affect both intellectual development and lead to reduced cerebral cortex responsiveness to CO2 retention, inducing or aggravating neuromuscular regulation dysfunction and further aggravating the deterioration of upper airway ventilation function. Long-term open-mouth breathing can cause pharyngeal mucosa hypertrophy, tonsillar hyperplasia, posterior lingual tonsils, etc. It can also cause craniofacial abnormalities such as misalignment of the mandibular joint and narrow jaw, commonly known as adenoid facies.  In contrast to the rapid development of the cranium in childhood and adolescence, the acquired nasal and pharyngeal structures induced by adenoid hypertrophy are compliantly narrowed, the floor of the maxillary sinus is significantly lower than the bottom of the nasal cavity, and the nasal cavity is uselessly narrowed, resulting in further disproportion between the volume of the maxillary sinus and the ventilation volume of the nasal cavity, which leads to long-term nasal congestion and gradual aggravation. Not only does it cause unpredictable malignant effects on physical and mental development in childhood and adolescence, but it also lays many hidden dangers for later triggering and aggravating various types of rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, obstructive sleep apnea hypoventilation syndrome and other obstructive diseases of the upper respiratory tract.  Therefore, early and aggressive treatment of adenoid hypertrophy in childhood is very important.