Enlarged Tonsils and Adenoids / Pediatric Sleep Disordered Breathing / Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The most obvious symptom of sleep-disordered breathing is loud snoring that is present on most nights. The snoring can be interrupted by complete blockage of breathing with gasping and snorting noises and associated with awakenings from sleep. Due to a lack of good quality sleep, a child with sleep-disordered breathing may be irritable, sleepy during the day, or have difficulty concentrating in school.

A common physical cause of airway narrowing contributing to sleep disordered breathing is enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Surgical removal of the tonsils and adenoids (T and A) is generally considered the first line of treatment for pediatric sleep disordered breathing if the symptoms are significant and the tonsils and adenoids are enlarged.