title: Apoptosis in chronic tonsillitis and tonsillar hypertrophy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic tonsillitis is the persistent inflammation of the tonsillar tissue that occurs due to recurrent, acute or subclinical infection. The recurrent and chronic inflammation of palatine tonsils sometimes results in hypertrophy. Apoptosis provides an important balance between lymphocytes in tonsillar lymphoid tissue. The aim of this study is to investigate the apoptosis in tonsillar diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  43 patients with chronic tonsilitis and tonsillar hypertrophy underwent tonsillectomy. The specimens were examined immunohistochemically for apoptosis. Tonsils were assembled into groups according to their size. Specimens were compared for their apoptotic cell count.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The apoptosis difference between the tonsil size groups is not statistically significant (p>0.05). However, when the study group was divided into two at age 6, the difference was not statistically significant for patients at and below 6 years of age; but, the difference was statistically significant for patients above 6 years of age (p<0.05). The comparison of apoptosis in microcompartments of tonsil tissue (intrafollicular, interfollicular, subepithelial and intraepithelial) between tonsil size stages and between chronic tonsillitis and tonsillar hypertrophy groups revealed no statistical significance (p>0.05). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between intrafollicular and interfollicular, interfollicular and intraepithelial & subepithelial and intraepithelial areas (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the light of these findings, it was concluded that apoptosis played a role in the tonsillar hypertrophy and atrophy. Apoptosis functioned to balance lymphocyte proliferation in tonsil tissue. The association of apoptosis with tonsillar hypertrophy seemed to be age-dependent.
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, 06100 Sıhhiye, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: drmerihonal@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Merih
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Önal
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, 06100 Sıhhiye, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: tyilmaz@hacettepe.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Taner
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: elif.bilgic@hacettepe.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bilgiç
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: sevdamuftuoglu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sevda Fatma
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Müftüoğlu
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, 06100 Sıhhiye, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: drkuscu@doctor.com.
authors.forename: Oğuz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kuşçu
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, 06100 Sıhhiye, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: rogunaydin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rıza Önder
authors.initials: RÖ
authors.lastname: Günaydın
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D017209:Apoptosis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014068:Tonsillectomy; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
keywords: Apoptosis; In situ nick-end labeling; Palatine tonsil; Tonsillitis