ADHD Kids with Sleep Problems Helped by Throat Surgery

A new study links tonsillectomy with the reduction of ADHD symptoms in children.

A recent study suggests that children with ADHD and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) can benefit from surgery to remove their tonsils and adenoids, the tissue at the back of the throat. Researchers looked at more than 100 children, average age six years old, who underwent adenotonsillectomy, and studied their sleep and behavior scores before and after the procedure, through surveys completed by their parents. They found that, after the surgery, the children not only slept better, but showed improvement in ADHD symptoms, as well as in areas of oppositional behavior and cognitive problems.

It’s estimated that 11 percent of children experience SDB, with symptoms ranging from snoring to sleep apnea syndrome, and which has been linked to ADHD, headaches, academic problems, bed-wetting, learning disabilities, and other difficulties. —Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery

-as reported in the December/January 2008 issue