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Paresis of the vocal cords in children
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 18.10.2021
Violation of the functionality of the vocal cords can occur at any age, and in some cases even before the baby is born. In the prenatal period, it is very difficult to notice a violation of the development of the larynx and its organs, therefore, defects are detected after the birth of the baby.
Paresis of the vocal cords in newborns can be caused by the negative impact of harmful factors from the mother's body, as a result of which defects in the development of the nervous system, vascular and metabolic pathologies are observed, which lead to a decrease in the functionality of the vocal cords. Thus, disturbances in the formation of the vascular and lymphatic systems in the embryonic period can lead to the formation of vascular tumors that compress the nerves. [1]
Usually, the pathology of the vocal folds and the nervous system becomes noticeable with the first breath and cry of the child, who will be unusually muffled.
Another indirect cause of paresis of the vocal folds is prematurity. By itself, the extraordinary birth of a child does not in any way affect the formation of the vocal apparatus (it appears at the 12th week of pregnancy and is already fully formed by the time of birth), but certain problems may arise that require surgical intervention. [2]
The circulatory system of the fetus and the structure of its heart are somewhat different from those of adults. So in the human embryo there is a hole between the pulmonary artery and the aorta of the heart (arterial and venous blood of the fetus is mixed). This hole should heal soon after the baby is born (6-10 weeks). But in premature babies with low birth weight, very often the hole does not close up, so doctors resort to surgery to prevent mixing of arterial and venous blood. [3]
On the one hand, this gives positive results, helping the child to avoid the development of cardiopulmonary insufficiency. But on the other hand, there is a very unattractive statistics: more than 40% of children after the operation showed symptoms of paresis of the vocal cords (breathing problems, hoarseness, children of frequencies choke and cough as a result of milk entering the respiratory tract during feeding). Studies have shown that the condition of the babies really corresponds to the above diagnosis. Probably the proximity of the nerves that innervate the left side of the vocal apparatus and the vessels of the heart leads to the fact that during the operation the nerves are damaged. This becomes the cause of unilateral paresis (weakness of the left vocal cord). [4]
As we know, one of the reasons for paresis of the vocal cords is their overstrain, which is quite possible in infancy. If the child screams loudly and for a long time, after a while you may notice some changes in his voice. The child's voice becomes less sonorous, its timbre changes to a lower one, the sounds become intermittent with aspiration. [5]
In children under 3 years of age, the high incidence of paresis of the vocal folds and dysphonia of varying severity is explained by the insufficient formation of immunity. The result is a low resistance of the body to infections and their more severe course with a high risk of complications. Frequent respiratory diseases or their chronic course leads to such a weakening of the vocal cords, which does not go away even during periods of relative health. [6]
Teenage dysphonia is associated with hormonal changes in the body and is not a pathology. These disorders are temporary, although by the end of puberty, the voice of adolescents still changes noticeably, it becomes more like an adult. But during this period there is a certain danger of voice breakdown, because under the influence of the same hormones, the vocal apparatus becomes more sensitive to negative influences (cold air, overvoltage, irritation by chemicals).
In children, as in adults, at different periods of life, various diseases can be found, leading to a weakening of the vocal function and affecting the timbre, strength, sonority of the child's voice. These can be neurological diseases (for example, quite often paresis is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which can be caused by pathological factors affecting the child both in the prenatal period and in the early period of his life), pathologies of the cardiovascular system that affect the trophism of the laryngeal tissues, severe mental shock, infectious diseases of different localization, intoxication of the body, etc.
The early development of oncological and tumor diseases, operations on the organs of the head, neck and chest, medical manipulations near the location of the nerves innervating the vocal apparatus can also be considered risk factors for the development of paresis of the vocal cords in children. Therefore, it is very important to carefully monitor the health of the child, timely identify various violations and take the necessary measures to eliminate them .