Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies Pediatric

Adenoids

Alternative Names: :lymph glands or lymph nodes,pharyngeal tonsil, or nasopharyngeal tonsil

Definition:
Adenoids are masses of tissue located high on the posterior wall of the pharynx. They are made up of lymphatic tissue, which trap and destroy pathogens in the air that enter the nasopharynx.

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The adenoids help protect kids from getting sick. They sit high on each side of the throat behind the nose and the roof of the mouth. Although you can easily see your tonsils by standing in front of a mirror and opening your mouth wide, you can’t see your adenoids this way. A doctor has to use a small mirror or a special scope to get a peek at your adenoids.

click to see the picture

Like tonsils, adenoids help keep your body healthy by trapping harmful bacteria and viruses that you breathe in or swallow. Adenoids also contain cells that make antibodies to help your body fight infections. Adenoids do important work as infection fighters for babies and little kids. But they become less important once a kid gets older and the body develops other ways to fight germs.

click to see the picture

Some doctors believe that adenoids may not be important at all after kids reach their third birthday. In fact, adenoids usually shrink after about age 5, and by the teenage years they often practically disappear
Enlarged adenoids refers to swollen lymphatic tissue. The tissue is similar to the tonsils, but found higher up above the throat.

Pathology:
Enlarged adenoids, or adenoid hypertrophy, can become nearly the size of a ping pong ball and completely block airflow through the nasal passages.

Even if enlarged adenoids are not substantial enough to physically block the back of the nose, they can obstruct airflow enough so that breathing through the nose requires an uncomfortable amount of work, and inhalation occurs instead through an open mouth.

Adenoids can also obstruct the nasal airway enough to affect the voice without actually stopping nasal airflow altogether.

Adenoid facies:

Enlargement of adenoids, especially in children, causes an atypical appearance of the face, often referred to as adenoid facies.
click to see the picture
George Catlin, in his humorous and instructive book Breath of Life, published in 1861, illustrates adenoid faces in many engravings and advocates nose-breathing.

Causes of enlargement :
A child may be born with large adenoids, which have developed in the womb.

More commonly, the adenoids become enlarged during the first few years of childhood. Repeated infections of the upper respiratory system cause the adenoids to become chronically inflamed and enlarged. The tonsils are also usually enlarged.

Symptoms:

Swollen or enlarged adenoids are common. When this happens, the tonsils get swollen, too. Swollen or infected adenoids can make it tough for a kid to breathe and cause these problems:
*Bad breath
*Cracked lips
*Dry mouth
*Mouth breathing (mostly at night)
*Mouth open during day (more severe obstruction)
*Persistent runny nose or nasal congestion
*Restlessness while sleeping
*Snoring
*Ear infections (because the drainage tubes from the middle ear may be blocked)
*Disruption of sleep can interfere with a child’s growth.
*Enlarged adenoids can put excessive strain on the heart.

Diagnosis :
The adenoids cannot be seen by looking in the mouth directly, but can be seen with a special mirror or using a flexible endoscope through the nose.

Tests may include:

•X-ray (side view of the throat)
•Sleep apnea studies (severe cases only)

Treatment:
Antibiotics may be used to treat the adenoids when they’re infected but may not have much effect on chronically enlarged adenoids.

Surgery to remove the adenoids (adenoidectomy) may relieve symptoms or prevent complications in those with frequent ear or sinus infections or fluid behind the ears. It may also be done when ear tubes have not successfully reduced infections. It is done to prevent the long-term complications of airways obstruction, such as heart failure. Surgery may lead to improved growth and development because deep sleep is restored

Prognosis: Full recovery is expected.

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.


Resources:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/adenoids.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/adenoids2.shtml
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001649.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19259.htm
http://health.allrefer.com/health/adenoid-removal-adenoid-removal-series-2.html
http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/adenoids.html#
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharyngeal_tonsil

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News on Health & Science WHY CORNER

Snoring Good for the Elderly

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If you think that snoring is bad for your health, think again, for a study has suggested that the nocturnal snorts, whistles and wheezes can give you a long and healthy life, particularly if you are elderly.

.CLICK & SEE

Researchers in Israel have carried out the study and found that people aged over 65 years who suffer from a snoring -related condition, called sleep apnoea, tend to live longer than those who do not snore.

According to the researchers, this is because short bursts of hypoxia — interrupted breathing — actually have a protective effect on the elderly people by conditioning their cardiovascular system to cope with lack of oxygen.

This means that when oxygen supplies are cut off, as in a heart attack or stroke, the body is better able to cope, they said.

But the study has found that the effects of sleep apnoea do not have the same effect in younger people — in fact, middle-aged men in particular are at a higher risk of heart disease, the Daily Mail paper reported.

The researchers at Technion Institute have based their findings on an analysis of more than 600 elderly people over a period of four years — they found fewer heart-related deaths than in a control group of ‘healthy’ volunteers.

The findings of the study have been presented at a meeting of the European Association for Sleep Research in Glasgow.

Sources: The Times Of India

Categories
Ailmemts & Remedies

Snoring

Snoring is a noise produced when an individual breathes (usually produced when breathing in) during sleep which in turn causes vibration of the soft palate and uvula (that thing that hangs down in the back of the throat). The word “apnea” means the abscence of breathing.
All snorers have incomplete obstruction ( a block) of the upper airway. Many habitual snorers have complete episodes of upper airway obstruction where the airway is completly blocked for a period of time, usually 10 seconds or longer. This silence is usually followed by snorts and gasps as the individual fights to take a breath. When an individual snores so loudly that it disturbs others, obstructive sleep apnea is almost certain to be present.

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There is snoring that is an indicator of obstructive sleep apnea and there is also primary snoring.

Primary Snoring, also known as simple snoring, snoring without sleep apnea, noisy breathing during sleep, benign snoring, rhythmical snoring and continous snoring is characterized by loud upper airway breathing sounds in sleep without episodes of apnea (cessation of breath).

How Does Primary Snoring Differ from Snoring that Indicates Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
A complaint of snoring by an observer
No evidence of insomnia or excessive sleepiness due to the snoring
Dryness of the mouth upon awakening
A polysomnogram (sleep study) that shows:
Snoring and other sounds often occurring for long episodes during the sleep period
No associated abrupt arousals, arterial oxygen desaturation (lowered amount of oxygen in the blood) or cardiac disturbances
Normal sleep patterns
Normal respiratory patterns during sleep
No signs of other sleep disorders
What can be done about primary snoring?
First of all, it is absolutely necessary to rule out obstructive sleep apnea or other sleep disorders. Be wary of any doctor who says it is not necessary. Behavioral and lifestyle changes may be suggested. Losing weight, sleeping on your side, refraining from alcohol and sedatives are often recommended.

The Causes Of Snoring:
Modern research reveals snoring to often have more than one cause. These include the many factors that lead to nasal blockage such as nasal allergy or deformities of the nasal septum (the cartilage partition between the two sides of the nose) and other internal nasal structures. This nasal blockage can contribute to poor nasal airflow into the lungs and can in turn set the soft tissues of the palate (roof of the mouth) and throat vibrating. These vibrations cause the loud fluttering noise of snoring.

Other factors which can influence the snoring condition are obesity; lack of fitness or aging and associated loss of general muscle tone, congestion of the throat due to the reflux of stomach acid (heartburn); and the effects of alcohol or smoking.

Congestion of the throat tissues leads to swelling of fluids within the tissues. This causes loss of muscle tone and generally makes the lining tissues of the airways flop. Where nasal congestion causes faulty or turbulent airflow through the airway, then the resonance of these floppy tissues contributes to the noise known as snoring.

Correction of snoring may not only require surgical intervention, but will probably also need cessation of smoking, minimised alcohol consumption, control of gastric acid reflux where neccessary and weight control
.

The Anatomy of the Upper Airway Passages.

CURE & TREATMENT:
Pillar Procedure
The Pillar Procedure is a new snoring treatment.
It is an operation carried out under local anaesthetic in most cases. Three tiny implants, made from woven polyester, are injected into the tissues of the soft palate. Floppiness of the soft palate, that part of the roof of the mouth which extends from the bony hard palate to the uvula (or central, dangling portion of the soft palate), is a frequent contributor to snoring. Stiffening the soft palate has been well known to quieten snoring in selected cases. However, palatal stiffening is suitable for patients who have been carefully evaluated by an ear, nose and throat surgeon with an interest in snoring problems. It does not assist every patient. Other factors may be contributing to snoring in these patients.

Now, what are Pillar implants?
The Pillar implants, made from polyester material, were developed in Europe and now have FDA US Government authority approval for surgical use. This material has been frequently used in medical products and can be safely inserted within the body. The implant creates a fibrous capsule around the implant which is the mechanism of the stiffening.

How do they work?
During the Pillar Procedure, three tiny woven inserts are placed in the soft palate to help reduce both the vibration that causes snoring and the ability of the soft palate to obstruct the airway. The Pillar inserts add structural support to the soft palate over time and prevents palatal fluttering (snoring).

The complex anatomical structure of the upper airway passages is due to the close association of the air, food and fluid passages. We not only breathe through our mouth and nose, but we also eat and drink through our mouth. The food passages of the mouth, throat and oesophagus leading to the stomach are separated from the airway by the soft palate and epiglottis and associated structures of the larynx or voicebox. This normally prevents food or fluid passing into the air passages and lungs. Occasional strong coughing fits are reminders that this is not always the case!

The nasal air passages serve to moisten the air intake and also provide the olfactory, or smell sense. Alternating congestion of the nasal passages helps channel the air intake between the two lungs.

ORAL/DENTAL DEVICES
There are mouth/oral devices (that help keep the airway open) on the market that may help to reduce snoring in three different ways.

Some devices:
bring the jaw forward or
elevate the soft palate or
retain the tongue (from falling back in the airway and thus decreasing snoring).

SURGERY
There is also surgery. Snoring is Not Funny, Not Hopeless. There is uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) or Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP), that involves removing excess tissue from the throat.

The newest surgery, approved by the FDA in July 1997 for treating snoring is called somnoplasty and uses radio frequency waves to remove excess tissue.

Injection Snoreplasty and Non-Surgical Snoring Cures are some other options.

10 Natural Tip for a Silent Night

Home Remedy of Snoring…….(1)

Home Remedy …………...(2 )

Regular Yoga Exercises like Meditation, Breathing Exercise etc. are also a permanent cure for snoring and sleep apnea.

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.

Source: www.snoring.com.au

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