Risks from Having Had Your Tonsils Removed

Evaluating Risk Factors: Having Had Your Tonsils Removed

Evaluating your likely current (and near future) state of health means taking into account the risk factors — such as having had an tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy — that affect you. Our medical diagnosis tool, The Analyst™, identifies major risk factors by asking the right questions.

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If you indicate having undergone surgery in the past, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Have you had a Tonsillectomy and/or Adenoidectomy, a procedure in which the tonsils and/or adenoids are removed?

Possible responses:

→ No / don't know
→ Yes, tonsils OR adenoids, before age 20
→ Yes, tonsils AND adenoids, before age 20
→ Yes, tonsils OR adenoids, after age 20
→ Yes, tonsils AND adenoids, after age 20

The Diagnostic Process

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate either tonsils/adenoids out before age 20 or tonsils/adenoids out after age 20, The Analyst™ will use differential diagnosis to consider possibilities such as:

Coronary Disease / Heart Attack

Swedish researchers reported in 2011 that having tonsils (or the appendix) removed before age 20 increases one's risk of suffering a heart attack at a young age – 44% increased risk for tonsils, and 33% for the appendix.

Problems Caused By Being Overweight

Studies started reporting in 2009 that children who have their tonsils removed – with or without the adenoids – are at slightly higher risk of becoming overweight.

Weakened Immune System

The tonsils are part of the immune system and create antibodies (immunoglobulins) that help build immunity against infectious disease. They also create T- and B-lymphocytes ("T cells" and "B cells"), which play important roles in the immune response.

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™