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In college I finally had my tonsils removed surgically. Now
I am in my late 50's and have CLL, a form of leukemia where the functioning of the body's immune system is reduced substantially. In looking up tonsils on Wiki I fnd the following:-
Tonsils tend to reach their largest size near puberty, and they gradually undergo atrophy thereafter. However, they are largest relative to the diameter of the throat in young children, and tonsillectomy (surgical removal of tonsils) may be indicated if they are obstructing the airway or interfering with swallowing. Also, when tonsils become overly enlarged or inflamed they may need to be surgically removed. In older patients, asymmetric tonsils (also known as asymmetric tonsil hypertrophy) may be an indicator of virally infected tonsils, or tumors such as lymphangioma or malignant tonsillar tumours.
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Some doctors who are not ENT specialists recommend to be conservative in the recommendation to have tonsils removed because they can not be put back and their removal would decrease the power of the immune system. ENT specialists generally recommend removal so they can be studied if there is inflammation, asymmetry or other health indicators.
I wonder if there is any correlation between having your tonsils removed and later in life developing CLL?
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Wilipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsils
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