Adenoids and Adenoid Hypertrophy

Key points

• • The adenoids are a mass of lymphoid tissue at the back of the nose, above the throat, and are most active in childhood.
• • They can enlarge with repeated infection and block the back of the nose, so the child breathes through the mouth and snores.
• • Long-standing mouth breathing can give a typical open-mouthed, dull facial appearance called adenoid facies.
• • By blocking the opening of the Eustachian tube, enlarged adenoids can cause fluid in the middle ear and dulled hearing.
• • The adenoids naturally shrink as the child grows older, so many of the problems settle with age.