Severe, long-term enlargement of tonsils and adenoids can lead to strain on the heart and lungs, Dr. Gurpreet Ahuja, CHOC Specialists division chief of otolaryngology, tells “American Health Journal.”
About 530,000 tonsillectomies occur annually in the United States in patients ages 15 and younger, says Dr. Ahuja. A patient would meet the criteria for a tonsillectomy if he or she has experienced seven infections in a one-year period; five episodes each year for two years; or three episodes each year for three or more years, he says.
Learn more about diagnosis and treatment of this condition in “American Health Journal,” a television program that airs on PBS and other national network affiliates that reach more than 30 million households.
Each 30-minute episode features six segments with a diverse range of medical specialists discussing a full spectrum of health topics. For more information, visit www.discoverhealth.tv.
More About Dr. Ahuja
Gurpreet Ahuja, M.D., is the CHOC Specialists division chief of otolaryngology. Dr. Ahuja attended medical school at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and completed his residency in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, New York, followed by a fellowship in pediatric otolaryngology at the National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Learn more about otolaryngology at CHOC, by clicking here: http://www.choc.org/search/index.cfm?keyword=otolaryngology
