Abstract:
Background: Considering the role of palatal tonsils in the human body, medical professionals
exercise cautiousness when considering tonsillectomy, especially in children, when the tonsil’s physiological
function is at its highest. Use of new diagnosis methods for measuring local and systemic immunity reactions, in
correlation with a clinical evolution of the disease, will allow us in the future to gain in-depth knowledge about
certain etiopatogenetic aspects of chronic tonsillitis.
Objective: 1.To explore some aspects of systemic immune reactions in chronic compensative tonsillitis. 2.To
compare systemic immune reactions in chronic tonsillitis and adults. 3.To explore the efficacy of complex
conservative treatment of children with compensative chronic tonsillitis.
Subjects and methods: 24 children and 13 adults with chronic compensative tonsillitis – imunological
examinations, 180 children who were treated with conservative methods. Outcome measures: C-reactive protein,
antistreptolysin O, absolute and relative amount of B lymphocytes, immunoglobulins – A, M, G, circulatory
immune complexes, interleukins IL-4, IL-8, IL-1β in blood serum.
Results: Interleukin-8 is 6.5 times higher in children than in adults (p=0.047), interleukin - 1 β is 17.4 times
higher (p=0.045). Serum levels of IgA in adults is higher than in children (p=0.038), antistreptolysin – O titre is 1.4
times higher. We obtained positive results in 85% of cases treated with conservative methods.
Conclusion: The study of interleukin – 1 β and interleukin – 8 is useful in understanding the etiopathogenetic
mechanisms of chronic compensative tonsillitis in children. Nonspecific immune factors play an important role in
the immune response in chronic tonsillitis in children, while in adults the main role is held by a specific immune
response. The dispanserisation of the children with chronic compensative tonsillitis and the complex conservative
treatment, that include local and general immunostimulation, will decrease the number of complications and will
improve the quality of life.