Possibilities for non-surgical management of patients with hypertrophy and inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsil

Abstract

Patients who suffer from pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy or inflammation are very common visitors in outpatient physicians’ practice. Hypertrophy of the pharyngeal tonsil may be accompanied by persistent difficulty in nasal breathing and complications whilst adenoditis in the absence of a significant impact on the child’s quality of life and associated complications had not been regarded as a ‘pathology’ in pediatric physicians’ practice until the patient is reached the age of 7 to 9 years old. The purpose of this research was to compare the regimens of the use of the homeopathic medications in patients with pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy or inflammation. Materials and methods used: a single-center controlled randomized observation of the use of homeopathic medications of a single active substance had been conducted in pediatric patients aged 1 to 18 y/o with pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy or inflammation. The study included patients with pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy or inflammation who had previously taken homeopathic single-substance medications, including in combination with standard treatment. Depending on the choice of patients (repetition of the homeopathic single-substance medications intake or prophylactic regimen) the patients were then divided into comparison groups. All of the patients had undergone both the routine examination and the ENT endoscopy, the parents’/caregivers’ satisfaction with the treatment results was then assessed using the 5-point Likert scale as well as the incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children while taking homeopathic medicines (compared to the period without taking them) and the willingness to use homeopathic medicines in the future. Results: after the ENT endoscopy (reduction in the size of the pharyngeal tonsil in 38% of cases, p≤0.001) and the parents’/caregivers’ survey (reduction in the ARI frequency in 62% of cases and high satisfaction with the treatment results), the majority of parents/caregivers have assessed the repetition of the repetition of the homeopathic single-substance medications intake as rather more effective in treatment of patients with inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsil of varying degrees of hypertrophy. Conclusion: the use of homeopathic medicines in patients with pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy or inflammation has showed good effectiveness. According to the ENT endoscopy results before v. after the treatment and the parents’/caregivers’ survey it is preferable to repeat the homeopathic single-substance medications intake in the next adenoiditis episode. The parents’/caregivers’ readiness to go on with the homeopathic medicines’ intake ranges from 50% to 78%.