Henry (Hank) Bernstein, D.O. is a Senior Lecturer in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School. Formerly the Associate Chief of General Pediatrics and Director of Primary Care at Children's Hospital Boston, he currently is the Chief of General Academic Pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. He has extensive and varied experience as a primary care pediatrician, and is a spokesperson for the news media on a variety of pediatric health care topics, including vaccination, common childhood illnesses, and practical information for caregivers.
Question:
Does having a tonsillectomy prevent you from getting strep throat or any other throat infections/conditions?
Answer:
No. A tonsillectomy will not prevent all throat infections, but removing the tonsils may decrease how often sore throats occur. In general, however, many children have fewer throat infections as they get older, whether or not they had tonsillectomies.
"Strep throat," also known as strep pharyngitis, is an infection of the back of the throat (pharynx) caused by specific bacteria called Group A Streptococcus (strep). Children with the infection usually have some fever, complain of a sore throat, have swollen glands in their neck, won't want to eat much, and may have a headache in the front of their head or a bellyache.
Early treatment, within 24 to 48 hours of developing symptoms, may help your child feel better sooner and will stop the spread of the disease faster. However, waiting slightly longer may help your child's body build up its immunity, which may then decrease the chance of getting strep throat again.
Your doctor may suggest a tonsillectomy if your child has repeated cases of tonsillitis. For example, if your daughter has seven or more cases of tonsillitis in the past year, at least five cases of tonsillitis per year for the past two years, or three cases treated each year in each of the past three years, she may need a tonsillectomy.