Weight gain in children following tonsillectomy.

There is much controversial evidence that children gain weight to a significant extent following tonsillectomy, usually associated with a general improvement in health. One hundred and nine consecutive children undergoing tonsillectomy in Dundee for recurrent tonsillitis had their weight recorded pre-operatively, and twelve months after surgery were re-weighed and a symptom chart completed. The results showed the patients were generally not underweight before surgery as their median weight was on the 55th. percentile. Most parents reported an improvement in their child's appetite with a reduction in the number of sore throats after surgery. Their weights following surgery had increased by an average of 20 per cent over what would normally have been expected, but this increase in weight was not confined to underweight children, but to the entire group.