On ‘Pytanie na śniadanie’, Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński explained what the so-called third tonsil, or adenoid, is and how it should be managed.
He explained that an enlarged adenoid in a child does not always indicate disease. Most often, it signals a response to pathogens trying to enter the child’s body. In one in a hundred young patients, however, the adenoid becomes pathologically enlarged and requires surgery, which understandably causes considerable anxiety among parents concerned about their children’s health.
‘The pharyngeal tonsil, or adenoid, is at the back and cannot be seen, unlike the visible tonsils at the sides. The more infections there are, the larger it becomes, and it can compress the Eustachian tubes,’ explained Prof. Piotr H. ‘The Eustachian tube connects the throat to the ears. Then, even during a minor infection, fluid appearing in the ear cannot drain away,’ he added.
