Introduction
Our voice is created at the larynx, which is the upper end of our windpipe in the throat. There the two vocal folds and their free edges, the vocal cords, form the so-called glottis. The voice is formed by the movement of the vocal folds.
These consist roughly of muscles, joints and cartilage, which move towards each other when speaking and almost completely close the glottis except for a small gap. When we exhale, air flows through this gap and causes our vocal chords to vibrate. This process creates our tones and sounds.
It thus enables us to speak. If this process is disturbed in any way, it leads to so-called hoarseness. Hoarseness is a voice disorder that is accompanied by changes in the sound of the voice and loss of volume.
Typical is the rough smoky voice up to the loss of voice. The affected persons are often only able to whisper. Hoarseness is not a disease in itself, but a symptom that indicates a disorder in the area of the vocal cords of the larynx.
Hoarseness is usually harmless in children as well as adults. So it sounds worse than it is. Nevertheless, if the hoarseness lasts longer than one or two weeks and remains unchanged, you should take your child to a doctor.
Causes
The reasons for hoarseness are manifold and range from harmless to serious causes. Hoarseness in children is often caused by a cold. It is usually caused by viral infections of the upper airways.
The pathogens cause a swelling of the mucous membrane of the vocal cords, which is thus disturbed in its smooth functioning. A virus-induced respiratory tract infection, which typically affects children between one and five years of age, is the so-called pseudocroup. This disease is often mistakenly referred to in society as croup.
The real croup, however, is a bacterial infectious disease that has increasingly disappeared in modern times due to vaccinations. The viruses cause inflammation of the larynx, swelling of the mucous membrane of the vocal cords and narrowing of the upper respiratory tract. The children show the typical dry barking cough, accompanied by hoarseness.
The hoarseness usually precedes the cough for some time. The pseudo croup is usually harmless. However, there is always the danger of swelling of the larynx and thus dangerous breathing difficulties for your child.
So be attentive and take your child to the doctor in time. Another childhood disease that leads to hoarseness is an inflammation of the epiglottis, which is very red. Children suffering from hoarseness also show symptoms such as fever, sore throat and shortness of breath.
It is essential that you contact a doctor in this case, as life-threatening suffocation attacks can occur. These topics may be of interest to you:
- Cold in the baby
- Laryngitis in children
But the cause of hoarseness does not always have to be a cold. An underfunction of the thyroid gland can also lead to hoarseness in children.
The hypofunction can be congenital or acquired. In the congenital form, the organ in the area of the neck is poorly positioned and its function is impaired. The acquired form is due to so-called autoantibodies, which are falsely produced by the body against its own tissue and destroy it.
The second, acquired form is also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Often children are overweight, tired and have dry skin due to the disease. An abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland can also lead to the symptoms of hoarseness.
In our latitudes it is usually caused by iodine deficiency. The increase in size causes the nerves supplying the vocal chords to become constricted on one side, resulting in hoarseness. However, hoarseness can also be caused by operations in the neck area (e.g. an operation on a diseased thyroid gland) or by intubation, the artificial respiration of the patient via a tube.
Overloading the voice, through shouting or frequent singing, can also lead to hoarseness. In most cases, this is a chronic hoarseness that lasts longer than three months. Due to the wrong strain on the vocal cords, so-called cry nodules form on the vocal folds.
They are also called singing nodules.These are benign changes that lead to thickening of the vocal cords. It almost always occurs on both sides. The nodules restrict the ability of the ligaments to vibrate and thus lead to hoarseness.
Normally, the cry nodules do not require any therapy, because they disappear by themselves until puberty. The children should only spare their voice and avoid loud talking or singing. Hoarseness is often the result of incorrect vocal use, and the rule is: the older the child, the more difficult it is to wean him or her off incorrect vocal use.
Pseudocroup is an infectious disease caused by viruses and mainly affects children. A typical symptom of this disease is the violent coughing fits (the so-called croup cough), often accompanied by hoarseness. The infection causes swelling of the mucous membranes in the throat, pharynx and vocal cords. Due to the swelling, the vocal chords are affected and the children’s voice fails. Pseudocroup usually heals on its own and does not require further treatment.