title: Tonsillectomy and tonsillitis in Cape Town--age and sex of patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the sex and age of patients undergoing tonsillectomy in the Cape Town metropolitan area.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective audit was conducted from 1991 to 1995 comparing the sex and age of patients undergoing tonsillectomy with patients admitted to hospital for acute tonsillitis and the general population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 7,250 tonsillectomies were performed for recurrent tonsillitis, and 111 adult patients were admitted with acute tonsillitis. When the data for the adult tonsillectomy patients were isolated, the female/male ratio was 3.22:1, which is highly significant when compared with the data for the general population (Cornfield's 95% confidence limit: 2.82, 3.68) and for patients with acute tonsillitis (Cornfield's 95% confidence limit: 1.14, 2.65).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recurrent tonsillitis requiring tonsillectomy occurs more commonly in female than male patients.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Otolaryngology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Cape Town.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Thorp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Isaacs
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Sellars
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*