- Home
- Medical news & Guidelines
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology and CTVS
- Critical Care
- Dentistry
- Dermatology
- Diabetes and Endocrinology
- ENT
- Gastroenterology
- Medicine
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Obstretics-Gynaecology
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopaedics
- Pediatrics-Neonatology
- Psychiatry
- Pulmonology
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Urology
- Laboratory Medicine
- Diet
- Nursing
- Paramedical
- Physiotherapy
- Health news
- Fact Check
- Bone Health Fact Check
- Brain Health Fact Check
- Cancer Related Fact Check
- Child Care Fact Check
- Dental and oral health fact check
- Diabetes and metabolic health fact check
- Diet and Nutrition Fact Check
- Eye and ENT Care Fact Check
- Fitness fact check
- Gut health fact check
- Heart health fact check
- Kidney health fact check
- Medical education fact check
- Men's health fact check
- Respiratory fact check
- Skin and hair care fact check
- Vaccine and Immunization fact check
- Women's health fact check
- AYUSH
- State News
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Andhra Pradesh
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Assam
- Bihar
- Chandigarh
- Chattisgarh
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- Daman and Diu
- Delhi
- Goa
- Gujarat
- Haryana
- Himachal Pradesh
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Jharkhand
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Ladakh
- Lakshadweep
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Manipur
- Meghalaya
- Mizoram
- Nagaland
- Odisha
- Puducherry
- Punjab
- Rajasthan
- Sikkim
- Tamil Nadu
- Telangana
- Tripura
- Uttar Pradesh
- Uttrakhand
- West Bengal
- Medical Education
- Industry
Surgery in kids with mild sleep-disordered breathing tied to fewer doctor visits, meds

Surgical removal of enlarged tonsils and adenoids in children with mild sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) appears to significantly reduce the frequency of medical office visits and prescription medicine use in this group, according to a clinical study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics, show that the surgery, called adenotonsillectomy, was tied to a 32% reduction in medical visits and a 48% reduction in prescription use among children with a mild form of the condition.
SDB refers to breathing disturbances during sleep that can range from loud snoring to occasional breathing pauses. About 6 to 17% of children in the United States have it, and for those with moderate to severe cases, adenotonsillectomy is a standard treatment commonly used. It can help reduce breathing problems, minimize behavioral issues, and also lower the risk of high blood pressure, full-blown sleep apnea, and other problems that may occur if the condition is left untreated. A recent NIH-supported clinical trial showed that for children with mild SDB, the surgery helped lower blood pressure and improve sleep and quality of life.
In the new study, researchers sought to determine whether adenotonsillectomy in comparison to watchful waiting (non-intervention) with supportive care is associated with fewer health care encounters and prescriptions. To find out, the researchers analyzed data from a randomized clinical trial that involved 459 children and adolescents with mild SDB who were recruited between 2016 and 2021 and followed for one year. The participants were ages 3 to 12 and were studied at seven academic sleep centers in the U.S.
During the trial, half the participants received an adenotonsillectomy, and the other half received supportive care without surgery, which included standardized education on healthy sleep and lifestyle and referral for untreated allergies or asthma. An analysis after the 12-month study period found 32% fewer health care encounters and 48% fewer prescriptions used among participants who underwent adenotonsillectomy, compared to those who did not undergo the surgery. For every 100 children, this equates to 125 fewer health care encounters and 253 fewer prescriptions-including for pain, skin, and respiratory medications — administered during the first year following surgery.
The reduced health care encounters included fewer office visits and outpatient procedures, particularly for sleep- and respiratory-related problems, but the mechanisms linking SDB treatment to health care outcomes are not clear.
Reference:
Bakker JP, Zhang F, Amin R, et al. Adenotonsillectomy and Health Care Utilization in Children With Snoring and Mild Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. Published online March 17, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.0023
Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751