Removing tonsils for bed-wetting! Part 2

Unlike previous studies, this study was more rigidly controlled and all the children who underwent tonsillectomy for breathing problems were asked about their urinary problems. Also included in the study were children who underwent other types of surgery. 

The study showed that after 6 months, more than 50% of children remained dry, irrespective of the type of surgery.

Said Dr. Richard Rosenfeld of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, "If your reason for doing the surgery is bedwetting, maybe give them six months, and see if they've improved."

However, the Doctor Rosenfeld added that this still does not rule out tonsillectomy and its role in bed-wetting. He went on to add that tonsillectomy mostly helps children with recent onset bed-wetting. He did not answer if he would recommend tonsillectomy for his children if they had bed-wetting!

So what should consumers do with children who have bed-wetting problems?

First, tonsillectomy is surgery and like any surgery has its fair share of complications. Tonsillectomy also costs thousands of dollars and then there is at least 1 week of recovery time.

 
Bed-wetting is a medical problem not surgical problem. The unethical surgeons claim that inflamed tonsils release substance(s) that cause urination, but there is no scientific proof for this belief. Moreover, when children with bed-wetting are evaluated, less than 10% have tonsillitis or enlarged tonsils. In addition, even after removing tonsils, more than 90% of children continue to have bed-wetting. Therefore, the first thing parents should do is avoid surgeons who want to remove tonsils as a treatment for bed-wetting. Instead, parents may want to try medications that may relax the bladder. Secondly, there are also bed-wetting alarms that may help wake up the child. 

Ultimately, the majority of children with bed-wetting simply grow out of the habit. On the other hand, after an unnecessary tonsillectomy you can even die.

Removing tonsils for bed-wetting! Part 1

For many years, some surgeons have been removing tonsils to cure bedwetting in children. Even though there is little correlation between the tonsils (which are located in the mouth) and the bladder (which is located into the lower abdomen), some surgeons actually believe that removing the tonsils actually diminishes bedwetting. Despite the lack of any good randomized studies, this practice is still common. Part of the reason is that some unscrupulous doctors are just interested in making money by performing unnecessary tonsillectomy and could not care less about bladder incontinence. 

Now there is evidence that having the tonsils taken out does not make the child any drier at night.

In this latest study, doctors discovered that removing the tonsils did stop bed wetting 6 months later, but so did all the other kids who had other unrelated surgeries like hernia repair

Says Dr Carmin Kalorin, a Urologist in North Carolina, “Given these results, we don't recommend tonsillectomy as a treatment for bedwetting."

Bed-wetting is a serious issue and affects at least 15 percent of five year olds, but these numbers are grossly underestimated as not all families report this problem.

There are many causes for bed-wetting in this age group like having a small bladder, excess urine production at night, drinking fluids late at night or just being lazy and not getting out of bed to pee. Sometimes the nerve signals from the bladder to the brain are not working.

 
In very rare cases, bed-wetting may also occur in people who have trouble breathing at night. It appears that the difficulty in breathing triggers release of hormones that increase urine production. In children one common reason for the upper airway obstruction are enlarged tonsils. Thus, based on this hypothesis, researchers removed tonsils to determine if bed-wetting would cease.