The potentially therapeutic role of tonsillectomy in the alleviation of several renal diseases apart from IgA nephropathy

Yuuki Nishino; Takuji Enya; Kohei Miyazaki; Yuichi Morimoto; Satoshi Marutani; Mitsuru Okada; Keisuke Sugimoto

doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110405

The potentially therapeutic role of tonsillectomy in the alleviation of several renal diseases apart from IgA nephropathy

Med Hypotheses. 2021 Jan:146:110405. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110405. Epub 2020 Nov 21.

Authors

Yuuki Nishino¹, Takuji Enya¹, Kohei Miyazaki¹, Yuichi Morimoto¹, Satoshi Marutani¹, Mitsuru Okada¹, Keisuke Sugimoto²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Kindai University, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
² Department of Pediatrics, Kindai University, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan. Electronic address: ksugimo@med.kindai.ac.jp.

PMID: 33261919
DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110405

Abstract

Tonsils are located mainly at the gateway of the respiratory tract, and are reportedly one of the secondary lymphatic organs of the immune system. The development of several diseases including IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is associated with inflammatory stimulation and an aberrant immune response of the tonsils. Several studies have reported an improvement in and/or an increase in the stability of the clinicopathological findings of patients with IgAN post tonsillectomy. However, the efficacy in and precise mechanism of the alleviation of symptoms of other renal diseases by tonsillectomy remain unknown. We hypothesize that tonsillectomy may play a potentially therapeutic role in renal diseases apart from IgAN, which are thought to be caused by an impaired regulation of the immune system.

Keywords: IgA nephropathy; Mucosa; Nephrotic syndrome; Regulatory T cell; Tolerance; Tonsillectomy.

MeSH terms

Glomerulonephritis, IGA* / surgery
Humans
Palatine Tonsil / surgery
Tonsillectomy*