[The occurrence of food allergy and bacteria allergy in chiidren with tonsilar hypertrophy]

Abstract

The diagnosis of food allergy is difficult because it is a multifaceted problem and is incompletely understood. Both upper and lower respiratory tracts can be affected by food allergy. The importance of bacterial allergy of the upper respiratory tract is however one of the most controversial problems in allergology. The palatine tonsils play an important role in immunologic surveillance and resistance to infection in the upper aerodigestive tract. The role of enlarged adenoids and tonsils in upper airway obstruction has become well-established earlier, thus, adenoidectomy with, or without, tonsillectomy is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the paediatric population. Research done in respect to Waldeyer's ring on people dealing at the same time with allergy, is seldom the subject of dissertation in Polish as well as world wide medical literature. To examine the influence of food and bacterial allergy on the tonsilar hypertrophy (TH) we studied 136 children ages 3 to 7 years, who had TH. On the basis of allergic and immunological examinations, in 28.6% food allergy was confirmed as the main cause of the complaints. We conclude that large tonsillar tissues sometimes with upper airway obstruction may by caused or aggravated by food allergies, therefore, early prevention of exposure to them may help reduce occurence of TH.