[Medical Q&A] My baby doesn’t have a cold, but his throat is hoarse. Why is that?

Author: Li Hongbin, deputy chief physician, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University

Reviewer: Wang Guixiang, Chief Physician, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University

The most common causes of hoarseness are excessive use of the voice, shouting loudly, and improper pronunciation. Most of them occur in people who use their voices more, such as teachers, singers, and individual sellers. Children are lively by nature. Preschool babies are in a critical period of learning language, cultivating habits, and shaping their personalities. They like to express their emotions. During this period, many babies like to shout and cry loudly. However, the vocal cords of children are not fully developed, and their mucosal repair ability is also weak. When shouting, the vocal cords on both sides rub against each other, which can easily damage the mucosal epithelium. Over time, small nodular protrusions will appear at the front of the vocal cords, causing the vocal cords to close loosely, leaking air when pronouncing, and finally hoarseness. This small protrusion at the front of the vocal cords is what we often call a vocal nodule. This type of vocal nodule that occurs in children is also called a "shouting nodule." This is why children become hoarse after shouting a few times without catching a cold.