ArticlePloS one2016
Tonsillectomy Does Not Reduce Upper Respiratory Infections: A National Cohort Study.
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of Adenotonsillectomy on Respiratory Tract Infections in Pediatric Patients: A Comparative Study Using a Korean Nationwide Population-Based Cohort.Journal of rhinology : official journal of the Korean Rhinologic Society · 2026Article
- Association Between Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Parkinson's Disease in Korean Populations: A Nested Case-Control Study Using a National Health Screening Cohort.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Long Term Impact of Adeno-tonsillectomy on Immunity Against Respiratory Viral Infections; Evidence Deduced During COVID-19 Pandemic.Indian journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- Surgical removal of tonsils and risk of COVID-19: a nested case-control study using data from UK Biobank and AMORIS Cohort.BMC medicine · 2024Article
- Review
- Unlocking the Protective Potential of Upper Respiratory Infection Treatment Histories against Alzheimer's Disease: A Korean Adult Population Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Tonsillectomy in Adults over 40 Years of Age Does Not Increase the Risk of Pneumonia: A Three-Year Longitudinal Follow-Up Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Observational
- Association of adenotonsillectomy with asthma and upper respiratory infection: A nationwide cohort study.PloS one · 2020Article
- Rheumatoid arthritis and neurodegenerative dementia: a nested case-control study and a follow-up study using a national sample cohort.Clinical rheumatology · 2020Article
- Increased risk of psoriasis in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps: a longitudinal follow-up study using Korean national sample cohort.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2019Article
- Appendectomy and rheumatoid arthritis: A longitudinal follow-up study using a national sample cohort.Medicine · 2019Observational
- Association between cholelithiasis and sialolithiasis: Two longitudinal follow-up studies.Medicine · 2019Article
- Article
- Increased risk of gallstones after gastrectomy: A longitudinal follow-up study using a national sample cohort in korea.Medicine · 2019Article
- Risk of ischaemic stroke in patients with migraine: a longitudinal follow-up study using a national sample cohort in South Korea.BMJ open · 2019Article
- Increased risk of sudden sensory neural hearing loss in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a longitudinal follow-up study using a national sample cohort.Clinical rheumatology · 2019Article
- Bidirectional association between gallstones and renal stones: Two longitudinal follow-up studies using a national sample cohort.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Nephrolithiasis predicts ischemic stroke: A longitudinal follow-up study using a national sample cohort.International journal of medical sciences · 2019Article
- Association between Herpes Zoster and Osteoporosis: A Nested Case-Control Study Using a National Sample Cohort.BioMed research international · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe objective of this study was to compare post-operative visits for upper respiratory infections (URIs) between tonsillectomy and non-tonsillectomy participants (controls).
methodsUsing the national cohort study from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 1:4 matched (age, sex, income, region, and pre-operative URI visit) tonsillectomy participants (5,831) and control participants (23,324) were selected. Post-operative visits for URI were measured from 1 to 9 years post-op. The equivalence test was used. The margin of equivalence of the difference (Tonsillectomy-Control group group) was set to -0.5 to 0.5.
resultsThere was no difference between the tonsillectomy and control group in 1- to 9-year post-op visits (-0.5 < 95% CI of difference < 0.5). URI visits gradually decreased from 5.5/2 years (pre-op) to 2.1/year (at 1 year post-op) and 1.4/year (at 9 years post-op) in both tonsillectomy and control groups. In the subgroup analysis (children Vs adolescent and adults; rare Vs frequent pre-operative URI), there was no difference in the number of post-op visits for URI between the tonsillectomy and control groups (-0.5 < 95% CI of difference < 0.5).
conclusionTonsillectomy does not provide a decrease in the number of post-operative visits for URI, and URI decreased over time whether or not a tonsillectomy was performed.
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Registered trials
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