Does tonsillar hypertrophy contribute to speech disorders in children?

Introduction. Hypertrophy of the pharyngeal and/or palatine tonsils as well as otitis media with effusion are the most prevalent childhood diseases leading to the referral of children to the ENT specialist. Adenoidectomy is the most commonly performed surgical procedure among paediatric patients. The main indications to adenoidectomy include sleep apnoea, frequent infections of the upper respiratory tract, and otitis media with effusion (OME). OME is defined as the presence of fluid in the middle ear without coexisting symptoms of ear infection. Aim. The aims of the study were to perform a clinical analysis of patients undergoing surgery on tonsils, and to evaluate the effect of tonsillar hypertrophy on speech disorders. Material and methods. The prospective study involved a group of 92 patients subjected to surgical procedures including adenoidectomy, adenotonsillotomy and adenotonsillectomy. Results. The study was carried out in a group of 92 patients aged 4.5-18 years who underwent tonsil surgery in two of Poland’s specialist medical centres. A total of 63 patients treated in the Warsaw centre, and 29 patients receiving treatment in the Elbląg centre, were included. The vast majority of the study group comprised children aged 5 to 9 years. Hearing impairment and the need to turn up the volume of the TV before the procedure were reported by 42 (45.7%) of the respondents. A total of 37 (40.2%) patients reported having to ask about the same thing several times. Among the patients who presented with hearing problems, 28 (30.4%) reported speech disorders, and 4 (4.3%) had slurred speech. Conclusions. Correct and early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of OME in children is necessary. An improvement of hearing in children contributes to an improvement in pronunciation.