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Adenoids in the nose and throat in adults: are there, how to identify and how to treat?

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
 
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Adenoids are a disease characterized by the appearance of formations in the nasopharynx consisting of lymphoid tissue. It is believed that this pathology occurs only in pediatrics. Indeed, according to statistics, adenoids occur in patients aged 3-7 years. In most cases, adenoids decrease as they grow older and by the age of 25, lymphoid tissue is almost completely replaced by connective tissue. Adenoids in adults are diagnosed when the palatine tonsil does not become smaller with age.

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Epidemiology

Statistical data on whether adults have adenoids and how often this pathology occurs in adulthood show that the patient's age does not matter. Lymphoid tissue in the nasopharynx can become inflamed both in infancy and in old age.

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Risk factors

Risk factors include adenoids in childhood, even if the patient's medical history includes a surgery to remove them. Lymphoid tissue can subsequently grow again. As a rule, this happens when some of its parts were not removed during surgery.

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Pathogenesis

The pathogenesis of the disease can also be hidden in diseases of the nasopharynx. Thus, with prolonged runny nose, sinusitis, maxillary sinusitis or rhinitis, a large amount of secretion is released from the nasal cavity. The immune system is actively functioning during this period and to stop this symptom, the size of the lymphoid tissue gradually increases.

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Symptoms adenoids in adults

Symptoms of adenoids in adults differ slightly from the symptoms of this pathology in pediatric patients. The first signs of the disease development:

  • the patient begins to snore in his sleep (snoring and adenoids in adults are one of the most common combinations);
  • headache;
  • the patient feels blocked ears;
  • head transformations occur;
  • hearing deteriorates;
  • it is difficult to breathe through the nose (due to this, the patient develops a cough, since the throat dries out when breathing through the mouth).

With all the above symptoms, adenoids may be accompanied by frequent colds.

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Stages

Adenoids in adults are divided into certain types, which are more correctly called stages.

There are three stages of adenoids in adults:

  • adenoids of the 1st degree in adults are characterized by difficulties associated with breathing during sleep, most often mouth breathing at night. At this stage, it is important to prevent tonsillitis, since with a combination of these pathologies, chronic upper respiratory tract pathologies can develop.
  • adenoids of the 2nd degree in adults are characterized by snoring during sleep, difficulty breathing through the nose, mouth breathing, problems with oxygen access (sometimes there is a slight cessation of breathing apnea). Sleep disturbance is observed. These symptoms are observed both in the normal state and with inflammation of the adenoids in adults. In most cases, it is recommended to resort to surgical intervention in order to prevent the pathology from progressing to stage 3.
  • adenoids of the 3rd degree in adults are characterized by the proliferation of lymphoid tissue. In this case, adenoids in the nasopharynx of an adult close some areas of the ear (middle) and the respiratory tract. Breathing through the nose is impossible at any time of the day, hearing is reduced, frequent diseases associated with inflammation of the respiratory and hearing organs appear.

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Complications and consequences

Without timely treatment, the disease inevitably progresses to the last stage. Adenoids in the nose in adults without treatment lead to hearing loss, constant infectious diseases, inflammation. Breathing becomes extremely difficult, the patient snores at night and experiences apnea, short-term respiratory arrests. Also, the consequence of difficulty breathing is insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, which can lead to a decrease in mental activity. In connection with such risks, it is necessary to conduct diagnostics in time and prevent the development of pathology.

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Diagnostics adenoids in adults

Diagnosis of adenoids in children consists of a primary examination. This type of diagnosis does not allow determining the presence of adenoids in adults due to the different structure of the nasopharynx. For this reason, specialists resort to other types of diagnosis.

Instrumental diagnostics includes the following procedures:

  • anterior rhinoscopy (to assess the condition of the nasal cavity and the degree of swelling);
  • posterior rhinoscopy;
  • pharyngoscopy (to assess the condition of the palatine tonsil);
  • lateral radiography of the nasopharynx (to make an accurate diagnosis);
  • endoscopic examination of the nasopharynx/computer tomography (for final diagnosis).

The patient is prescribed the following tests:

  • general blood test;
  • general urine analysis;
  • bacterial culture of nasopharyngeal secretions;
  • cytological analysis.

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Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnostics consists of differentiating adenoids from tumors in the nasopharynx area, diseases that lead to difficulty breathing, congenital pathologies of the nasopharynx and nasal cavity. It should be taken into account that in case of repeated growth of adenoids, a biopsy is performed to exclude such types of tumors as sarcoma, papilloma, epithelioma.

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Treatment adenoids in adults

There are two ways to treat adenoids in adults: without surgery (the so-called conservative) and surgical. The first stages are usually treated conservatively, while at stages 2-3 it is impossible to do without surgical intervention.

In conservative treatment, the specialist prescribes medications. Nasal drops for adenoids in adults are prescribed for washing and drying the mucous membrane.

First, the patient should rinse the nose with saline or other solutions. Dolphin is often used for this. However, rinsing the nose with saline solutions should be done with caution in case of concomitant diseases. Thus, with sinusitis or rhinitis, if rinsed incorrectly, there is a risk of infection getting into the Eustachian tube and, as a result, into the ear cavity.

After rinsing with the solution, drying medications such as Protargol and Collargol are used. These medications should not be taken during pregnancy and lactation. One of the above medications is instilled into the nose after rinsing in the amount of 1-2 drops.

It is advisable not to rinse your nose before going outside, as there is a risk of hypothermia of the sinuses.

It is recommended to use physiotherapeutic treatment methods: laser therapy, inhalation, climatotherapy, UHF.

Vitamins for adenoids can be obtained from food products. For this disease, it is also recommended to take multivitamin complexes (A, B, C, D, B6) or separately vitamins of groups B, E, C, PP, phytoncides.

Traditional medicine is used as an adjunctive therapy. There are many recipes for treating adenoids.

  1. Salt, preheated on a frying surface, is poured into a cloth bag. This bag should be applied to the patient's feet and warm socks should be put on top.
  2. Two parts beet juice are added to one part honey. This mixture is instilled 5 drops into the nose every day up to 5 times.
  3. Add a few drops of linden or sage essential oil to 1 kg of salt heated on a frying surface. Inhale the salt for 10 minutes every day, pouring 2 tablespoons of salt with a liter of boiling water.
  4. 15 grams of crushed anise are infused for 10 days in 100 milliliters of alcohol. After straining, the tincture is diluted with water at a ratio of one part tincture to three parts water. The resulting solution should be dripped 3 times a day, 10 drops daily.

Herbal treatment is used not only by making decoctions, but also as medicinal herbal preparations. An example is Sinupret, which contains yellow gentian root, primrose, common sorrel, elderberry, verbena.

Homeopathy is also used to treat adenoids. Such drugs as Agrafis nutans, Barita carbonica, Calcium fluoricum are used. The drug Cinabsin is also used, 1 tablet three times a day. Contraindications to Cinabsin are pregnancy and lactation, as well as hypersensitivity to the components. Side effects in the form of increased salivation, gastrointestinal disorders, and an allergic reaction when taken simultaneously with drugs containing echinacea are possible.

Surgical treatment of adenoids is called adenotomy. The operation to remove adenoids in adults is performed under anesthesia (local or general). An endoscope may be used during removal.

Removal of adenoids in adults is performed using a laser, a knife, an instrument with very small blades (shaver), a cryodestructor, or a coblator.

Prevention

In order to prevent the proliferation of lymphoid tissue, it is necessary to strengthen the immune system and maintain a healthy general condition of the body through proper nutrition, the absence of bad habits, and exercise.

It is also necessary to treat nasopharyngeal diseases in a timely manner so that the pathology does not progress from an acute form to a chronic one and does not lead to complications in the form of adenoids.

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Forecast

With adequate conservative treatment at the first stages, it is possible to get rid of adenoids. In the second and third stages, surgical intervention should be resorted to. When the operation is performed by a qualified specialist, complications and repeated growths can be excluded, however, if not all lymphoid tissue is removed, relapses are possible. In case of relapses, additional examinations should be carried out to exclude tumors.

If treatment is not timely or ignored, consequences may include hearing loss, pathological respiratory dysfunction, impaired mental activity, and other complications.

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