People who have had their tonsils or appendices removed as children face a significantly increased risk of suffering early heart attack, researchers warned yesterday.
Traditionally the two organs have been regarded as surplus and liable to infection and removal is still common. In Britain about 25,000 children a year undergo the operation.
The two organs may be key components of the immune system, according to a report in the European Heart Journal.
According to the Swedish researchers, immune systems weakened or altered by removal of the tonsils or appendix may eventually lead to inflammatory conditions, triggering the risk of heart attack.
According to the research, having tonsils removed before the age of 20 is linked to a 44 per cent increased risk of having a premature heart attack. Appendix removal is linked to a 33 per cent increase in the risk.
The findings come from an analysis of the fate of tens of thousands of Swedes born between 1955 and 1970. More than 27,000 had undergone tonsil removal and 54,000 had appendix removal before their 20th birthdays.
Researcher Dr Imre Janszky, of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, said: “In the light of our current knowledge on the complex relationship between atherosclerosis and the immune system, the findings are biologically plausible.
“There is already some evidence that removal of the spleen, another secondary lymphoid organ, is also associated with accelerated atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular risk.”
Childhood appendectomy, tonsillectomy, and risk for premature acute myocardial infarction � a nationwide population-based cohort study. Janszky I, Mukamal KJ, Dalman C, Hammar N, Ahnve S. Eur Heart J June 1 2011; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehr137
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