2026/09/08 13:17
Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital physician Hsu Ying-chi reminds parents to help their children reduce their exposure to dust mites and other allergens. (Photo provided by Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital)
[Reporter Huang Zhengjia/New Taipei Report] An 8-year-old child, Xiaoyu, suffered from nasal congestion and difficulty breathing since he was a child. When he went to the doctor, it was discovered that in addition to narrow dental arches, he also suffered from allergic rhinitis and adenoid hypertrophy blocking the posterior nares. Correction of the dental arch alone could not eradicate the nasal congestion. After adenoidectomy and minimally invasive turbinate debulking surgery, the main cause of nasal congestion was eliminated, and his sleep quality was greatly improved. Now he can live a normal life, study and grow.
Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital points out that in addition to colds, common causes of nasal congestion in children include allergic rhinitis and adenoid hypertrophy, both of which often occur together. If nasal allergies are severe or there are repeated infections, the adenoids may become inflamed and enlarged for a long time, thereby blocking the posterior nostrils and causing nasal congestion.
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The parents in this case initially thought that Xiaoyu’s condition was caused by a naturally narrow dental arch and crowded teeth. After receiving palate expansion treatment at the dentist, although his breathing improved during the day, he still breathed through his mouth at night, snoring loudly and sleeping restlessly, which seriously affected his sleep and quality of life.
The ticked area in the image is the location of the adenoids. The gray area before the resection operation is the adenoid hypertrophy tissue that compresses the nasal cavity space, and the space returns to normal after surgery. (Photo provided by Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital)
Hsu Ying-chi, a physician at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, said that although allergic rhinitis and adenoidal hypertrophy may improve with age, long-term nasal congestion, sleep apnea interruption, or snoring during growth may affect sleep quality, leading to inability to concentrate during the day and easy anger. If mouth breathing is used for a long time, it may also affect the development of facial bones and teeth, such as the narrowing of the upper dental arch, protruding teeth, retraction of the chin, or elongation of the face.
Regarding allergic rhinitis and adenoid hypertrophy in children, Xu Yingze said that treatment will be gradual according to the severity, with non-invasive treatment as the priority, including avoiding contact with allergens, improving the home environment, using air purifiers, dehumidifiers, and oral medications or steroid-containing nasal sprays to control inflammation and allergic reactions.
She pointed out that if the effect of conservative treatment is limited, or if the quality of life has been significantly affected by long-term nasal congestion, snoring, or sleep apnea, nasal endoscopy and X-ray examination will be used to evaluate whether to accept adenoidectomy surgery. This surgery uses an endoscopic transoral method to rotate Most children recover quickly after surgical removal of hypertrophic adenoids. Depending on the situation, the doctor will also recommend simultaneous minimally invasive turbinate debulking surgery to use laser to improve turbinate hypertrophy and further improve nasal ventilation. Both surgeries are covered by health insurance, and the out-of-pocket consumable costs are about 50,000 yuan each.
Xu Yingzhi reminded that surgery is mainly to improve nasal congestion and respiratory obstruction, and cannot change allergic constitution. Allergy control must be continued after surgery to reduce the chance of recurrence of symptoms. It is recommended that parents help their children reduce their exposure to allergens such as dust mites.
