Weight Gain Post‐tonsillectomy More Common in Young Children

Abstract

Objective: Adenotonsillectomy (TA), performed for either obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or recurrent tonsillitis (RT), has been associated with significant weight gain after surgery. The objective of this study was to look at a large population of children undergoing TA and the demographic factors which may contribute to weight gain. Method: Retrospective chart review of children undergoing TA at an urban tertiary-academic center between 2008 and 2011. Demographic data (including age, gender, and race), OSA disease severity, pre- and 6-month postoperative normalized body mass index (z scores), and changes in were compared. Results: One hundred fifteen children had complete data after TA; 85 of whom underwent surgery for OSA. There were no significant differences between OSA and RT patients in mean age (7.2 ± 4.3 vs 7.3 ± 4.4 years, P = .955) or gender (38% female vs 50%; P = .323). However, the OSA patients were more likely to be black (60% vs 33%) than RT patients ( P = .026). Overall, the preoperative BMI z scores increased from 0.98 ± 1.50 to 1.21 ± 1.25 ( P = .0009) with no significant difference by surgical indication ( P = .58). Multiple linear regression analysis found that only age was significantly, and negatively, associated with changes in BMI z scores ( P = .015). Conclusion: Similar to previous studies, children had significant weight gain after TA. This analysis suggests that younger age is a significant predictor of weight gain after surgery. Further investigation of the relationship between weight gain and demographic factors would benefit from prospective evaluation with special attention to the relationship with age.