Adenoid hypertrophy, also known medically as proliferative hypertrophy, is a set of symptoms that occur as a result of excessive proliferation of lymphoid tissue in the nasopharynx of children. The lymphoid tissue in the nasopharynx, also called pharyngeal tonsils, is located at the back wall and top of the nasopharynx and is an aggregated lymphoid tissue that produces antibodies when normal and provides some protection against the respiratory tract of preschool-aged children. The adenoids proliferate in children between the ages of 2 and 10, gradually shrink after the ages of 8 and 10, and disappear for the most part after the age of 18. Adenoid hypertrophy is a common disease in children, mostly due to recurrent acute or subacute inflammation of the nasopharynx, which causes chronic inflammation of the lymphatic tissue in the nasopharynx and excessive hyperplasia of the adenoids and lymphoid follicles in the nasopharyngeal mucosa, resulting in pathological hypertrophy, and the enlarged adenoids obstruct nasal air circulation, prevent the excretion of nasopharyngeal secretions, block the eustachian tube, affect the ventilation and drainage of the middle ear, and affect the general health or neighboring organs. A series of symptoms and comorbidities appear, which are medically known as hyperplasia or adenoid hypertrophy. Adenoid hypertrophy aggravates nasal obstruction and impedes nasal drainage, while acute and chronic inflammation of the nasopharynx produces secretions that stimulate the adenoids to continue to proliferate, forming a vicious circle of mutual causation. Adenoid hypertrophy often exists in combination with chronic tonsillitis. The disease occurs in cold and humid areas. When the adenoids are severely enlarged, it can cause nasal blockage and nasal drainage obstruction, leading to rhinitis and sinusitis; when the eustachian tube is blocked, it can easily cause otitis media, due to open mouth breathing, children are prone to respiratory infections, long-term open mouth breathing can affect the development of facial bones, affecting the physical and intellectual development of children. Symptoms 1. Mostly occur in preschool children, the affected children have stuffy nose and runny nose, irritating cough, open mouth breathing, snoring in sleep, restless sleep at night, easy to wake up, daytime dullness, poor memory, mental depression, headache, etc., and hearing loss. It can affect physical and intellectual development, and in more serious cases, “chicken chest” can occur. 2, long duration of the disease can have “adenoid face”; the upper lip is short and thick, the lower lip droops, the nasolabial fold disappears, the hard palate is high arched, the teeth are not aligned, the distance between the eyes becomes wide, and the expression is dull. 3, often accompanied by tonsillar hypertrophy and inflammation, often coexisting with chronic tonsillitis, nasopharyngitis, sinusitis. The nasal turbinates are enlarged, and there is accumulation of secretion in the nasal cavity or mucopurulent secretion hanging from the nasopharynx down to the posterior pharyngeal wall. 4.Obstruction of the eustachian tube mouth can cause secretory otitis media, tympanic membrane invagination and hearing loss. 5.The submandibular lymph nodes or cervical lymph nodes are enlarged. 6.It can be complicated by laryngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and gastrointestinal dysfunction due to the stimulation of inflammatory secretions. 7. Soft tissue shadows can be seen at the top of the nasopharynx on lateral x-ray. Special note: Children with adenoid hypertrophy blocking the posterior nostril and pharyngeal pharyngeal opening can have symptoms such as otorhinopharynx. Choking and coughing often occur due to ataxia between swallowing and breathing. The downward flow of secretions stimulates the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, resulting in nasal congestion, runny nose, and in severe cases, complete nasal obstruction, sleep disturbance, poor breathing, frequent awakening or shrieking, nighttime paroxysmal coughing, and recurrent coughing in children, which is often misdiagnosed as “cough-variant asthma”. Hearing loss. When a child has frequent nasal congestion, runny nose, cough or poor hearing, it is important to think that it may not only be a disease of the nose, trachea or ears, but also to check for adenoid hypertrophy. Treatment 1, proliferation of light can be used conservative treatment, using mucosal contraction agent nasal drops, with oral Chinese medicine, Chinese medicine or anti-inflammatory drugs nebulized inhalation, drug fumigation or physical therapy, prevention of upper respiratory tract infection, control of chronic inflammation of the nasopharynx, so that it no longer develops, then surgery can be dispensed with. 2, children who snore when they sleep, open mouth breathing, sleep easily awakened, mostly heavy proliferation, should consider surgery to remove the enlarged adenoids, children over 4 years old, can be surgically removed. Those who are not suitable for surgery can consider radiotherapy. In normal children, the adenoids can be mildly enlarged at the age of 3-4 years, but there are no clinical symptoms, and they gradually shrink and disappear around the age of 10. If the proliferative bodies are enlarged after the age of 5 years and have obvious clinical symptoms, they are often the source of many diseases in pediatrics and otolaryngology. If the adenoids are enlarged, the nasal ventilation and sinus drainage are obstructed, which can trigger rhinitis and sinusitis and aggravate them, and the increased secretions from rhinitis and sinusitis stimulate the adenoids, resulting in more enlarged adenoids, so that they are mutually beneficial, forming a vicious circle. Therefore, those who suffer from adenoid hypertrophy and have heavy symptoms should be treated with surgery as early as possible. The earlier the surgery is performed after the age of 5, the better the results. The symptoms can be significantly improved or disappeared, and the developmental and nutritional status can be normalized.