Hoarseness in Children

Hoarseness in children occurs when something adversely affects their vocal cords. The most common causes of hoarseness in children are colds and flu. There are more significant causes, including trauma and some rare diseases. How long you should wait to take your child to the doctor depends on the child's age and overall health. Fortunately, there are many natural ways to prevent and treat hoarseness in children.

Identification

• You use your vocal cords to speak. There are two vocal cords in the throat that move together and vibrate when you do so. Anything that adversely affects the vocal cords leads to a hoarse voice. Hoarseness is the noise made when something doesn't allow the vocal cords to vibrate normally. Hoarseness in children makes their voices sound harsh and breathy.

Normal Causes

• The most common causes of hoarseness in children are colds and flu, which create inflammation and swelling of the vocal cords. Chronic overuse of the vocal cords from loud yelling, crying, screaming or very loud talking can also cause hoarseness in children. In these cases, non-cancerous masses called vocal cord nodules develop on the vocal cords, which make the voice sound hoarse. Another cause for hoarseness in children is an allergic reaction to pollen or dust.

Significance

• Traumatic causes of hoarseness include intubation (problems when your child's breathing tube is placed), feeding tube placement, consumption of acid or poisons, birth trauma, and serious car accidents. Additional significant causes of hoarseness in children include vocal cord paralysis and cysts in their voice boxes. In a few cases, hoarseness could be a sign that your child has a rare disease that involves the child's brain or nerves.

Timeframe

• If your child is otherwise healthy, you can wait until she has sounded hoarse for four months before scheduling a visit to the pediatrician, though many pediatricians recommend waiting only four weeks. You should take a newborn child who has a history of chest surgery or other congenital diseases (those that exist from birth) to the doctor for immediate examination. Any child who has sudden hoarseness or experiences difficulty breathing or swallowing from any kind of neck trauma should also be evaluated immediately.

Prevention/Solution

• The less your child speaks, the faster his voice will return to normal. You can encourage your child to stop talking for a while by making a game out of nonverbal forms of communication, like creating hand signals for expressions like "can I" or "give me." You can also try giving him a pad and pencil to communicate. Have your child avoid whispering, as it strains the vocal cords more than normal speech. You can give your child lozenges to soothe and moisturize his throat. Sugarless lemon drops (which can be purchased from the pharmacy) also work well.