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Seven in 8 children's tonsillectomies are unnecessary
Researchers analysed the electronic medical records of over 1.6 million children from more than 700 UK general practices dating between 2005 and 2016. They found that out of 18,271 children who had their tonsils removed during this time, only 2,144 (11.7 per cent) had enough sore throats to justify surgery.
The researchers at the University's Institute of Applied Health Research concluded that their evidence, published today (Nov 6th) in British Journal of General Practice, showed that annually 32,500 children undergo needless tonsillectomies at a cost to the NHS of £36.9 million.
What's more, they found that many children who might benefit from having their tonsils removed are not having the surgical procedure. They found that of 15,764 children who had records showing sufficient sore throats to undergo a tonsillectomy, just 2,144 (13.6 per cent) actually went on to have one.
[...] Tom Marshall, Professor or Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Birmingham, said: "Research shows that children with frequent sore throats usually suffer fewer sore throats over the next year or two. In those children with enough documented sore throats, the improvement is slightly quicker after tonsillectomy, which means surgery is justified.
"But research suggests children with fewer sore throats don't benefit enough to justify surgery, because the sore throats tend to go away anyway.
"Our research showed that most children who had their tonsils removed weren't severely enough affected to justify treatment, while on the other hand, most children who were severely enough affected with frequent sore throats did not have their tonsils removed. The pattern changed little over the 12 year period.
"Children may be more harmed than helped by a tonsillectomy. We found that even among severely affected children only a tiny minority of ever have their tonsils out. It makes you wonder if tonsillectomy ever really essential in any child."
Incidence of indications for tonsillectomy and frequency of evidence-based surgery: a 12-year retrospective cohort study of primary care electronic records (DOI 10.3399/bjgp18X699833$)
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by kurenai.tsubasa on Thursday November 08 2018, @12:17AM
Yeah.
Something like that was once expressed during a committee meeting of a local breast cancer charity by the one man (an MD) in a committee of 15 or so women (and whatever you want to classify me as—I was presenting male and had said nothing about being trans or having breasts… many years before this when a womyn-born-womyn sexually assaulted me for being trans, I had been made to understand that my breasts are not “real”).
The MD was talking about the then recent guidance published by the WHO that screening mammograms should only be given every other year. I said not one goddamned thing, because what was I supposed to do? Argue with an MD 20–30 years my senior about medical guidance despite my lack of any kind of medical qualifications? I'd figured the woman who put him in his place had said what needed to be said, and that was that.
A few weeks later I went to refill my meds and found that my access to HRT had been cut off. My bank wasn't able to give me a straight answer about why they had told the pharmacy my account was closed. I now have to drive 150 miles away to the big city for medical care.
I can only figure that the strategy employed by feminists of collective and several punishment is not effective at teaching boys like VLM their lesson. However, it has sure as fuck taught me some things….