Why does my child have a hoarse voice?

During the growth and development period of children, many children are prone to hoarseness. Generally, children are prone to hoarseness when they have a cold or get angry. If the hoarseness lasts for a long time, it may be due to vocal cord problems. It is very common for children to have polyps on their vocal cords or nodules in the throat. Polyps or nodules in the throat can easily cause hoarseness in children, and can also easily affect children's normal speech and communication. You can change your speaking habits or use surgical methods to treat it. If the hoarseness is caused by getting angry, you can also regulate it by eating some fire-removing foods.

Causes of hoarseness in children

Vocal cord nodules and polyps: the most common cause of chronic hoarseness in children. It is often seen in children who speak loudly repeatedly and use their voice improperly. It manifests as symmetrical new growths in the front and middle 1/3 of the vocal cords, similar to the "calluses" caused by repeated friction of the hands. Children of this type should pay attention to talking less, change their bad voice habits, and take medication as an auxiliary treatment. Vocal cord polyps are common in the middle and front part of the unilateral vocal cord and require surgical treatment.

Laryngeal webs: The child has a hoarse voice since birth, with or without dyspnea that worsens when crying. It is divided into three types: glottic, supraglottic, and subglottic. The symptoms vary depending on the degree of obstruction. If it is complete, there is usually no chance for surgery and the baby will die of suffocation soon after birth. If symptoms occur, surgery is required.

Foreign body in throat: Children cry or play while eating, which may cause food, fish bones, bone fragments, etc. to be accidentally inhaled into the throat. It should be removed surgically as soon as possible after diagnosis.

Laryngeal papilloma: seen in children with recurrent hoarseness. The onset of the disease is related to HPV infection. If there is breathing difficulty after discovery, surgical treatment should be performed. The disease may recur after resection, and some children can recover on their own after adulthood.

Other malignant tumors of the larynx: laryngeal cancer, laryngeal fibrosarcoma, etc., are rare in children but cannot be ignored, because if treatment is delayed, the opportunity for surgical recovery may be missed.

Vocal cord paralysis: It is divided into congenital and acquired types. For congenital vocal cord paralysis, attention should be paid to whether there are congenital organ developmental abnormalities. Some vocal cord paralysis has no obvious cause and can heal itself after further development. Acquired diseases may be caused by iatrogenic or traumatic factors such as recurrent laryngeal nerve injury or cricoarytenoid joint dislocation.

Diet therapy

The following dietary therapy can also be used to treat hoarseness: remove the core of a snow pear, fill it with 3 grams of Fritillaria cirrhosa powder, add 30 grams of honey, decoct and take twice a day. It can treat cough and hoarseness caused by phlegm heat and dryness of the lungs and damage to body fluid. Use 10 grams of Terminalia chebula and 3 grams of cicada shell, decoct in water and take once a day to treat hoarseness caused by exogenous pathogens. Crush five black plums, add 6 grams of Platycodon grandiflorum and 6 grams of raw licorice, decoct in water and take once a day. It is effective for people with hoarseness that persists for a long time.

In addition to drug treatment, patients with hoarseness must be careful to avoid colds, eat less spicy and greasy foods, and avoid smoking and drinking. Patients with hoarseness caused by wind-cold or phlegm-heat should eat more light foods and avoid acidic and greasy foods to avoid worsening of hoarseness. Patients with long-term illness and lung dryness and body fluid damage can eat pears, loquats, oranges, etc. People with both lung and kidney deficiency can use white fungus and walnut meat as diet therapy. For hoarseness caused by emotional distress, mental stimulation should be avoided. If hoarseness is related to voice use, one should avoid speaking for too long or too loudly to help recover from hoarseness as soon as possible.