Adenoids are made up of lymphatic tissue and are located at the top of the throat, behind and above the tonsils, at the point where the nasal cavities connect right with the throat.
Actually, adenoids are also tonsils, and another name by which they are known is pharyngeal tonsils.
However, while the palatine tonsils are visible through the mouth, the adenoids remain hidden higher up in the airway.
In addition, although both adenoids and tonsils are composed primarily of lymphoid tissue, because of their different locations the problems associated with infections affecting adenoids may be different than those induced by tonsil infections.
Like tonsils, adenoids are part of the lymphatic system, whose job is to fight infectious diseases and keep body fluids in balance.
In both cases, these are larger structures in the early years of life, particularly in the 2-6 age group.
