A Gosforth teacher used to get tonsillitis "multiple times a year" which made it difficult to swallow and talk and led to weeks on the sick.
However, Elinor Barwick - who is now 37 - was the first person to take part in a Newcastle University trial which has shown that getting your tonsils taken out as an adult is worth it when it comes to those hit by recurrent bouts of the illness. And since the operation, Elinor's not had a day off sick.
The research carried out by a Newcastle University team led by Dr James O'Hara has shown that those adults to have their tonsils removed saw a 50% reduction in how often they suffered from a sore throat. This busts a medical myth that had seen far fewer adults have the operation in recent years.
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The research, published last week in the Lancet, also found that removing your tonsils was cost effective, saving the NHS money compared to use of painkillers and antibiotics.
Science teacher Elinor actually had the operation eight years ago, when the trial first began. She said the difference in her life since then had been remarkable. She said: "Essentially I kept getting tonsillitis multiple times a year. It would often make it difficult to swallow, difficult to speak. It led to a lot of time off. As a teacher, talking is pretty important.
“Recurrent tonsillitis would impact my life as it would leave me in a lot of pain and, at times, made day-to-day life very difficult. When I was asked to be part of the trial I didn’t hesitate to say ‘yes’ because it was being led by Newcastle University and would benefit patients like myself."
In addition to making eating, drinking, talking and teaching difficult, tonsillitis used to make Elinor's throat extremely tight and swollen, and she would develop flu-like symptoms – all of which would impact her job and quality of life. But years on, these issues have disappeared.
"Since I have had my tonsils removed, I’ve not had a day off work due to tonsillitis," she said. "And my quality of life has very much improved as I no longer suffer from severe sore throats. I was the first person involved in the study. It was eight years ago and for me that's eight years of not having tonsillitis."
The research study was the biggest of its kind. Dr O'Hara, clinical senior lecturer at Newcastle University and consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Tonsillectomy has been branded as an ‘intervention of limited clinical value’ due to a lack of studies to support the operation. Over the last 20 years, the number of tonsillectomies being performed in the UK has halved whilst hospital admissions for complicated tonsillitis have more than doubled.
"There has been variation across the UK in referrals from primary care for tonsillitis, with some patients having to experience three times the recommended number of episodes before being referred for a tonsillectomy.
"Our research should level the threshold for referral for this problem, and clinicians can now be assured that tonsillectomy is effective for those who suffer with recurrent tonsillitis."
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