A Consultant Paediatrician, Dr. Ayodele Renner, has urged parents to seek medical attention for their children who snore, noting that it could be a sign of serious health problems.

According to him, snoring is often due to difficulty in breathing which may have been caused by infected adenoids. Effect Of snoring.

The child health expert explained that children sometimes snore when the adenoids have become enlarged due to infections or allergies.

Adenoids are a patch of tissue that sits at the very back of the nasal passage.

Like tonsils, adenoids help keep the body healthy by trapping harmful bacteria and viruses that we breathe in or swallow. They do important work as infection fighters for babies and young children, the child care site noted.

Speaking further, the child health advocate said, “adenoids are tissues somewhere behind the nose that help us fight off infection.

When adenoids enlarge either due to infections or allergies, they can cause breathing difficulties.

Children may breathe through their mouths when awake and snore terribly when asleep.

It can cause repeated and frequent fever because it can get infected.

This snoring can be so disruptive to sleep that it keeps everyone awake,” he noted adding that “the frequent visit to hospitals for infections can also be a source of frustration for parents.

Speaking on the management of adenoids, Renner said the condition can be successfully managed conservatively in some children while others may need to get surgery to have the adenoids removed by an ear, nose and throat surgeon as a last resort.

According to experts, while the adenoid glands are part of the immune system and help protect the body from viruses and bacteria, surgery may become necessary to remove the adenoids when they become swollen or enlarged because of an infection or allergies.

The medical health education site, clevelandclinic.com, explained further that “when a child’s adenoids become enlarged, they can cause problems by partially blocking his or her airway.

When this happens, children can have breathing problems, ear infections, or other complications, which can lead to snoring or more serious conditions such as sleep apnoea (stopping breathing) at night. Effect Of snoring. Effect Of snoring.

Effect Of snoring

Chronic (long-term) nasal drainage, congestion, and sinus infections can also be seen.

Enlarged adenoids can also affect the recurrence (return) of ear infections and chronic fluid in the ear, which can result in temporary hearing loss.

Surgery to remove the glands is often needed. Removing them has not been shown to affect a child’s ability to fight infections.