Patient's question:
My baby is 26 months old. Recently, I've noticed that her throat is a bit hoarse, but it's not very noticeable. She doesn't have a cold or flu, and there's no pain or itching. Is this serious? Does it matter?First follow-up question: Is it really not serious? Why would her voice suddenly become hoarse for no reason? Will it affect her vocal cords in the future?
Second follow-up question: Could the chief physician please advise if my child's slightly hoarse voice without coughing requires treatment? If it's chronic respiratory inflammation, how can it be identified? Is a blood test necessary? If treatment is needed, what kind of medicine can she take?
Doctor's answer:
Chronic laryngitis is a common disease in children. It is more prevalent among preschool-aged children. The main symptoms are hoarseness, which is characterized by recurrent episodes, varying in severity, and never causing breathing difficulties. The primary causes of this chronic laryngitis are excessive and improper voice use, as well as other chronic respiratory inflammation. Children in kindergartens, especially boys, often engage in excessive and improper voice use, such as competing with each other to see who can shout louder while singing or reading; making loud noises like "Charge! Kill!" during playtime; crying or prolonged coughing, which cause intense vibrations in the vocal cords; prolonged nasal congestion, runny nose, mouth breathing, and the irritation of laryngeal mucosa by inflammatory secretions—all of these can easily lead to vocal cord edema and congestion. Over time, this may result in vocal cord thickening or nodules, and even polyps, causing hoarseness.The treatment for chronic laryngitis in children involves oral antibiotics and hormones during acute hoarseness, but the main approach is to reduce the child's vocal activity to allow overworked vocal cords to rest. However, achieving this is very difficult. Therefore, prevention of chronic laryngitis is even more important. Kindergarten teachers should be familiar with basic physiological and hygienic knowledge of children's vocalization, avoiding loud shouting while singing or reading. If chronic coughing occurs, it should be treated promptly, and children should be given water regularly to prevent throat dryness and inflammation.
Of course, hoarseness can also be caused by many other factors. If hoarseness persists for a long time, it may indicate the possibility of a tumor in the larynx. The most common laryngeal tumor in children is papilloma, which grows on or around the vocal cords, affecting their vibration.