Association between Parents’ Smoking and Incidence of Tonsillectomy in Children Referring to Kashani Hospital in Shahrekord in 2017-2018

Throat infections such as tonsilitis and pharyngitis in children can lead to absent from the school, deferment from class, imposement of treatment cost, and increasing the use of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of parents cigarette smoking on tonsillectomy in children referred to Kashani Hospital in Shahrekord during the period of 2017-2018.

This cross - sectional study was performed on children with tonsillitis who referred to the Rasool and Imam Ali Clinic Shahrekord Medical University of Ear, Nose and Throat. 80 children aged 3 to 12 years old with tonsillitis and tonsillectomy indications were included in the study. Children age, gender and surgery type as well as information about their mother and father cigarette smoking were recorded. The data were analyzed by SPSS software using chi-square and logistic regression.

The cases of adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy and adenotonsillectomy were 66.3, 32.5 and 1.3%, respectively. 2.5% of mothers of children and 45% of fathers of children had cigarette smoking. From smoker’s father, 52.8% had cigarette smoking in outdoors and 47.2% had cigarette smoking in the home. There was no significant relationship between the type of surgery and status and place of cigarette smoking by mother and father.

Although there was no significant relationship between parents' use of cigarettes and tonsillectomy, the prevalence of cigarette smoking was relatively high among fathers and further studies are necessary to elucidate the effects of this parameter.