A newborn breathes more rapidly than an
adult. This is due to the fact that lung capacity of a baby is less than adult.
So to hold oxygen they need to breath in and out more often.This is the reason why babies and young children have higher respiratory rate than adults.
Some children present with abnormal sound
during breathing. There are two common types of noisy breathing -Snoring and
Stridor.
Snoring in children is a sound due to upper
airway obstruction. The commonest cause of snoring in children is enlargement
of adenoids and tonsils referred to as Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy.
The degree of adenotonsillar hypertrophy is assessed with clinical examination. In some children this can lead to disturbed sleep and
daytime hyperactivity. This is referred to as Obstructive Sleep
Apnoea. Your child’s paediatrician will send to an ENT surgeon to confirm the
diagnosis. Adenotonsillectomy surgery is the solution for obstructive sleep
apnoea in children.
Stridor is a sound produced by turbulent
airflow through a partially obstructed airway. There can be various types of
stridor depending on the location and severity of airway narrowing. There can
be acute causes of stridor like airway inflammation or infections. These are
medically managed by Paediatricians.
The most common non acute cause of stridor
in infants and children is Laryngomalacia.
In laryngomalacia, cartilages of upper larynx collapse inwards during taking breath in.This leads to obstruction.
Laryngomalacia is the commonest
congenital laryngeal anomaly followed by vocal cord paralysis and subglottic
stenosis. This is generally a self-limiting disease but when severe it may
cause airway obstruction, feeding difficulty and failure to thrive.
In most cases of noisy breathers, your
child’s Pediatrician will decide whether an ENT opinion is required. A visit to
ENT clinic will consist of consultation with otolaryngologist who will decide
whether direct visualisation of your child’s airway is required.
Flexible fiber-optic laryngoscopy
examination is performed as an out patient procedure in most of the children.
It allows excellent visualisation of upper airway structures.
