Adenoids, << AD uh noydz, >> also known as pharyngeal tonsils, are a mass of glandlike tissue normally present in the upper part of the throat, directly behind the nasal passages. A small amount of this tissue is always found in the throats of newborn babies. Usually it shrinks gradually and disappears by the time the child is 10 years old. But sometimes this shrinking process does not take place. Instead, the adenoid tissue increases in varying degrees to form a large growth. It is this growth that people commonly call “adenoids.”
The adenoid tissue may grow so extensively that it fills the entire space behind the nose and interferes with nasal breathing. The soft, spongy tissue harbors germs and becomes infected easily. The infecting organisms often cause additional swelling so that the whole upper part of the throat may become clogged. Then breathing through the nose becomes almost impossible, and the whole area is inflamed and sore.
Enlarged adenoid tissue also may block the Eustachian tube that connects the back of the throat and the middle ear. Fluid then forms in the middle ear, resulting in a condition known as serous otitis media. This condition may lead to hearing loss and recurrent ear infections. See Ear (Diseases).
Like the other tonsils, the adenoids consist of lymphoid tissue (see Lymphatic system). The adenoids and other tonsils form a continuous ring of lymphoid tissue around the back of the throat. If the adenoid tissue causes repeated infections, doctors may remove it in a surgical operation called an adenoidectomy.
