Voice disorder or hoarseness is a term used to describe any change in voice quality. In this case, there may be: hoarseness, deterioration of voice quality, cracked voice, voice sounding weak or overly contracted, voice roughness, thin voice, deep voice. Different definitions can be used, such as having. The pitch or intensity of the voice may be abnormal, the voice resonance may have changed.
The incidence of hoarseness in childhood varies between 4 and 23%. The cause of hoarseness can be any structural or functional reason in the laryngeal structure.
The majority of childhood hoarseness is due to benign causes. Among these, excessive or abusive use of voice ranks first. Misuse or misuse may lead to the formation of nodules, polyps, bleeding foci and hematomas on the vocal cords. This condition can usually be easily treated with voice therapy. In some advanced cases, microscopic vocal cord surgeries called microlaryngosurgery are used as a treatment method.
The second largest group causing childhood hoarseness is inflammation of the vocal cords and surrounding structures. is strong. Although the most common cause of this is viral or bacterial infections; Excessive contraction of the voice, recurrent cough and throat clearing, exposure to things that may irritate the throat through air, and systemic diseases (such as underactive thyroid gland) are also among the causes.
Another rare but important cause of hoarseness in childhood is congenital diseases. Among these, the most common are web, vocal cord cyst and vocal cord hemangioma.
Hormonal causes > may cause hoarseness in childhood and adolescence. Malfunctions of the Thyroid gland (goiter ; and other thyroid diseases) and androgen hormone treatments are examples of this group.
Traumas affecting the vocal cords or larynx are also among the causes of hoarseness. Inhaling or swallowing flammable or caustic substances, traumas to the neck caused by blunt or cutting objects, and traumas related to the tube used to put the patient to sleep during surgeries due to other reasons can be evaluated in this group.
Although rare in childhood, benign or malignant tumors are also causes of hoarseness. Among the benign ones, the most common ones are papilloma and hemangioma, and among the malignant ones, the most common ones are rhabdomyosarcoma.
Vocal cord paralysis It is a condition in which the vocal cords do not move, either unilaterally or bilaterally (both right and left), due to the interruption of the nerve impulse that allows the vocal cords to move. When it is unilateral, the most disturbing symptom is hoarseness, while when it is bilateral, breathing difficulty becomes more disturbing than hoarseness. Vocal cord paralysis is most common after other surgeries. These surgeries include thyroid (goiter) surgeries, neck surgeries, and cardiovascular surgeries. Sometimes it can occur for no reasonfollowing an upper respiratory tract infection. Causes such as immune system diseases, head and neck tumors, birth trauma can also lead to vocal cord paralysis.
Throat reflux (laryngopharyngeal reflux, gastroesophagolaryngeal reflux), It is the acid-containing contents of the stomach leaking back into the esophagus and then into the vocal cords area. Contact of this acid content with the vocal cords and their surroundings may cause long-term edema and deterioration of voice quality.
In some patients with short or long-term hoarseness, ear, nose, throat, head, neck and vocal tract examination should be performed. It can be seen that it is completely normal. The human voice is an end product of our psychological and physical well-being. Therefore, some psychogenic causes may cause hoarseness in these patients. It should not be ignored.Many different psychiatric conditions such as anxiety disorders, depression, personality disorders and convertive reactions are also causes of hoarseness.
In children Treatment of hoarseness is done according to the relevant cause presented above. In most cases, some measures taken for vocal health at home together with the family will be effective in the treatment and preventing the problem from recurring. In some cases, surgery is a necessity, and in some cases, drug treatments are a necessity for treatment. Voice therapy is a healing method that is beneficial in all cases and constitutes the main or auxiliary treatment depending on the diagnosis.
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