Patient's question:
A four-year-old boy has started attending kindergarten. He often experiences hoarseness. Besides the action of lifting his eyes and exhaling, he has been dealing with rhinitis recently. Through treatment, a thorough examination yesterday revealed that his rhinitis is almost completely resolved. However, he still has a cough and coughs up yellow phlegm. A blood test and lung percussion were conducted, and it was diagnosed as a respiratory infection. Today, while reviewing information about laryngeal cancer, I noticed that the symptom of lifting his eyes and exhaling is due to discomfort in his throat. When asked if it hurts or feels strange, he couldn’t express it very clearly. Previously, he once had an earache with a fever, and a check-up revealed that all the earwax in his ear canal was completely blocked. He was given ear drops to resolve the issue. The symptom of lifting his eyes and taking a deep breath-like action, then exhaling, is causing concern. I want to ask the doctor what this could be and would like to take him to an ear, nose, and throat specialist for further examination.Doctor's answer:
According to your description of the illness, it is considered that the child may have chronic pharyngitis, and the hoarseness is likely due to vocal cord nodules. It is recommended to go to the otolaryngology department for a follow-up examination. An ear endoscopy can be performed to carefully check, first soften the ear plug, and then remove it under the endoscope. Let the child drink more water, and the diet should be as light as possible. Avoid spicy and irritating foods. Oral Gan Jie Bing Mei Pian can be used to treat pharyngitis. In daily life, symptoms can be stabilized through diet.