Artikel
Smoking promotes the formation of quinsy
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Veröffentlicht: | 22. September 2005 |
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Gliederung
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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.