Clinical outcome of Montelukast Sodium in Children with Adenoid Hypertrophy

Background & Objectives: Generally, the blockage of upper respiratory tract in children is seen with the hypertrophy of adenoids and tonsils. Normally for patients with adenoid hypertrophy (AH), Adenoidectomy with or without Tonsillectomy is carried out, however it has its own complications like haemorrhage and recurrence of adenoid tissue. Consequently, therapeutic approach has increased extraordinary consideration rather than surgical procedure. The inflammatory process proposed for AH has prompted the utilization of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat this issue. The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of Montelukast sodium in children with enlarged adenoids.

Methods: A randomized controlled trail was performed from April 2018 to March 2019 in the Otorhinolaryngology clinic of Dr. Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital, Islamabad. In this randomized, placebo treatment-controlled trial, 60 children aged 4-12 years meeting inclusion criteria were isolated into two groups. The study group was treated with Montelukast sodium 5mg consistently for three months while the control group got placebo treatment for a similar timeframe. A questionnaire was filled by parents/ guardians of every child before and after the intervention to evaluate the severity of sleep discomfort, snoring and mouth breathing.

Results: Following 3 months of treatment, significant reduction in size of the adenoids was seen in 76% of study group compared with just 3% of control group getting placebo treatment.

Conclusion: Montelukast sodium seems to be effective in the reduction of the size of adenoids and improvement in clinical manifestations. It can be viewed as a viable option in contrast to surgical treatment in children with hypertrophy of adenoids.