Familial clustering of tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies.

Eighty-one children undergoing tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies (T and A) were compared with a control group of 88 hospital patients. A significantly higher incidence of prior T and A was found to have been performed on the siblings and parents of the T and A group than the controls. Environmental, genetic or attitudinal factors could be responsible for this familial clustering.