How to treat hoarseness and sore throat in a child and an adult?

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

When air passes through the larynx gap with closed ligaments, waves appear, which are called voice. The thicker and longer the ligaments, the lower the sound will be, and the smoother they are, the clearer the tone. When the ligaments thicken and become uneven, the person is worried about the hoarseness of the voice. When obstacles appear in the path of the wave that create interference, it is customary to call this state dysphonia.

Why is it changing?

There are many reasons.

The symptoms of some diseases of the larynx are so similar that the final diagnosis will be made only by a doctor after a comprehensive examination:

• Inflammatory diseases of an infectious nature. With such ailments, swelling of the airways occurs, which prevents the ligaments from closing tightly. As a result, sonority is reduced. There is also a cough, tickling, tickling in the throat, a temperature of 37-38 degrees. Sometimes the sound disappears completely. Hoarseness of the voice, without pain and discomfort in the throat, can remain for life with chronic laryngitis;
• Poisoning by some chemical elements. Inhalation of chlorine vapors causes hoarseness, cramp spasm, edema, and coughing. Ammonia provokes chest pain, sputum production. Fluoride can cause, in addition to hoarseness, redness of the eyes, seizures, cough;
• Allergy. If, against the background of such reactions, there is a hoarseness of the voice, but without a sore throat, then this is a very formidable symptom. It precedes stenosis of the larynx and shortness of breath, even suffocation. At the same time, a person can turn pale, turn blue, lose consciousness. All stages of allergic reactions change very quickly, so it is imperative to seek emergency help;
• Disorders of metabolic processes. A decrease or increase in the production of some hormones affects the sound. In the tissues, fluid is retained, as a result of which the ligaments swell. Hormone replacement therapy will help eliminate this phenomenon;
• Dehydration. When a person is unable to quench his thirst for a long time, hoarseness, dryness of the mucous membranes occurs;
• Burns. On contact with acetic acid, burns are formed on the ligaments and larynx, and then scars. They can change the sound forever, and in especially severe cases - deprive a person of the opportunity to talk;
• Smoking and alcohol. People who are addicted to smoking constantly expose the mucous membrane to serious tests. Carbon dioxide, nicotine and tar provoke swelling of the ligaments, which causes hoarseness. Ethyl alcohol burns the mucous membrane slowly but surely. Therefore, it is customary to say that alcoholics have a "drunken voice";
• Overvoltage. To a greater extent, this applies to people who have to speak in front of a large audience: teachers, actors, singers, lecturers. Their voice is constantly overstrained, and eventually "sit down";
• Ligament injuries. They can appear after stenosis, tracheotomy and other surgical interventions, as well as if a foreign object gets into the respiratory tract;
• Paralysis and paresis. If nerves are damaged, then a symptom such as hoarseness appears. A person may feel numbness in the larynx, have difficulty breathing;
• Tumor. If it is located in the region of the larynx, then it can squeeze the nerves, vessels in the immediate vicinity, and limit their mobility. Periodic coughing and sore throat appear.

These are not all the reasons that can cause hoarseness. Do not ignore this symptom, because it may indicate serious diseases that require urgent treatment.

Hoarseness in a child

Often, children "sit down" their voice for the same reasons as adults. But there are certain things that parents should be aware of.

In children, foreign objects are much more likely to get into the respiratory tract, since they taste everything and can easily inhale some little thing. Congenital laryngeal cysts also provoke hoarseness and are far from uncommon. Children who like to yell can be very overwhelming.

Therefore, hoarseness after a while is guaranteed to them.

If the baby does not stop checking others for noise resistance, he may form nodules on the ligaments, which will ruin his voice.

In boys at the age of 12-15, hormonal imbalance is observed, so the voice changes.

If such mutational phenomena last longer than six months, the teenager should be seen by a specialist.

There are a number of situations that are classified as urgent. The voice can become hoarse with stenosis of the larynx, Quincke's edema. The child's airways are still not wide enough, so there may be attacks of suffocation. In such cases, it is very dangerous to hesitate, you urgently need to show the baby to a specialist.

A hoarse voice in a baby can be associated with the following factors:

• changes in the body;
• a long cry;
• inflammatory processes.

If the baby is feeling well and showing no signs of anxiety, this phenomenon will go away on its own. But if the baby's hoarseness persists for a long time, then it is better to consult a doctor.

How to treat?

To understand how to treat such a phenomenon as a hoarse voice in a child, you need to consult with an otolaryngologist and phoniatrist. The latter deals specifically with voice problems.

Before you begin to treat hoarseness in adults, you should remain silent. The duration of such rest depends on how difficult the situation is. Infectious diseases must be treated with antiviral drugs, and bacterial ones with antibiotics. Irrigation of the throat with a solution of ascorbic acid (5%) is effective.

If the reason lies in allergic reactions, then antiallergenic tablets are prescribed for hoarseness.

Children who have already reached 5 years of age and adults can dissolve tablets. These can be antiseptics or antihistamines.

The symptoms of hoarseness deserve close attention. Self-medication can lead to disastrous consequences.