To determine the economic impact of adult chronic
tonsillitis and the economic improvement from adult
tonsillectomy, we studied patients who underwent adult
tonsillectomy for chronic
tonsillitis with the Glasgow Benefit Inventory and a questionnaire for disease severity parameters before and after
tonsillectomy. The economic impact of chronic
tonsillitis and adult
tonsillectomy were computed with a break-even time analysis model. Eighty-three adult patients (average age, 27.3 years) completed the study with an average duration of follow-up of 37.7 months. The patients exhibited a mean improvement in quality of life of +27.54 +/- 4.63 after
tonsillectomy according to the Glasgow Benefit Inventory. In the 12 months following the procedure,
tonsillectomy resulted in yearly mean decreases in number of weeks on
antibiotics by 5.9 weeks, number of workdays missed because of
tonsillitis by 8.7 days, and physician visits for
tonsillitis by 5.3 visits. In considering the medical costs of
tonsillectomy only, the break-even point was found to be 12.7 years, whereas considering the overall economic impact of
tonsillectomy resulted in a break-even point of 2.3 years after the procedure. We conclude that
tonsillectomy results in significant improvement in quality of life, decreases health-care utilization, and diminishes the economic burden of chronic
tonsillitis in the adult patient population.