Hi

Thanks for the query

The above symptoms mentioned by you could be either due to allergic nasal condition or chronic adenoiditis

Adenoid and tonsillar enlargement are very common in the children. They help in providing immunity to the body until the age of 2 years after that other factors in the body will take over the charge of providing immunity. Thus, the function of the tonsils and adenoids ceases by the age of 2 years.

In some children, the adenoids and tonsils might enlarge to a certain extent that it can lead to obstruction of the nasal cavity, causing recurrent cold, nasal block, upper stunted growth, etc.

And, this situation worsens in those children who have associated allergic problems. That is because the adenoid enlarges proportionately to the severity of the nasal allergy causing nasal obstruction and retaining of the secretions in the nasal cavity. The retained secretions thus get infected leading recurrent upper respiratory tract infection.

In the presence of nasal obstruction, the children cannot feed properly as they cannot breathe and eat at the same time. Secondly, the thick secretions which trickle into the throat irritate the throat causing nausea and vomiting.

Do not worry! This is one of the common problems in children. The child requires a thorough examination by an apt ENT specialist, an x-ray of the naso-pharynx to look for the adenoid enlargement. Depending upon the x-ray and clinical finding further mode of treatment either medical or surgical will be planned.

You can try using saline nasal spray to reduce the nasal congestion and give plenty of warm water to drink. This help in lightening the secretions and nasal decongestion.

Hope I have answered your query. I will be available for the follow-up query.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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