Long-term impacts of tonsillectomy on children's immune functions

There exist a wide level of discrepancy regarding the role of tonsils and its indication among pediatricians and ENT specialists. This fact sometimes causes confusion and delay in making the right decisions by parents and specialists for appropriate treatment of patients.

Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of long-term tonsillectomy on the immune system of patients.

In this case-control study we measured the status of immune system in 34 children (aged 9-15 years) following 4 to 6 years of tonsillectomy. We have also enrolled 30 healthy children with similar age group. Venous blood samples were taken and the serum levels of IgG, IgA, and IgM were detected along with expression of CD4, CD8, CD10 and CD56. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 18 software and a P < 0.05 was considered as significant.

We found that the mean serum levels IgM, IgA, and IgG in the case group was significantly (P < 0.0001) lower than the control group. Whereby, the CD4, CD8 and CD56 expressions was examined, there was no significant difference in both groups while only CD10 expression was lower in tonssiloctomized patients (P = 0.108).

Overall, according to these findings, CD10 as a marker of B lymphocytes in children undergoing tonsillectomy was significantly less than those healthy children. This may indicate a decrease in B cells and further reduced antibody production in these patients.