gms | German Medical Science

76th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

04.05. - 08.05.2005, Erfurt

Smoking promotes the formation of quinsy

Meeting Abstract

  • corresponding author Götz Lehnerdt - HNO/Uni Essen, Essen
  • Katharina Senska - HNO/Uni Essen, Essen
  • Markus Fischer - HNO/Uni Essen, Essen
  • Klaus Jahnke - HNO/Uni Essen, Essen

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie. 76. Jahresversammlung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie e.V.. Erfurt, 04.-08.05.2005. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2005. Doc05hno187

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/hno2005/05hno056.shtml

Published: September 22, 2005

© 2005 Lehnerdt et al.
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Outline

Text

Introduction: Smoking has not properly been investigated as a predisposing factor for the development of a peritonsillar abscess.

Methods: In a retrospective study a group of 541 abscess tonsillectomies - performed in the department of Otorhinolaryngology (University Duisburg/Essen) between 1994-2003 - was retrospectively analysed for smoking habits of the patients. Further on we investigated the influence of smoking on the risk for a postoperative haemorrhage.

Results: Smoking habits of 519/541 were known, 296/519 (57%) were smokers, which is much more than expected with regard to the prevalence of smokers in the german population. Beneath the 2.2% of patients with a postoperative haemorrhage that had to be arrested under general anaesthesia no statistical relation between the occurrence of a postoperative haemorrhage and smoking was found. Conclusion: Smoking could be an important predisposing factor for the development of quinsy e.g. due to alteration of the mucosa and microbiological changes. We could not identify a statistical relation between smoking and the risk of a postoperative haemorrhage after tonsillectomy à chaud.