More Than 1 in 10 Children Have Had Voice Problems Growing Up

Having voice problems was associated with poorer quality of life.

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According to survey findings published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery on June 20, 6.7 percent of American children currently suffer from voice disorders, and 12 percent have had voice problems at some point in their lives.

The authors defined voice problems as abnormal vocal behaviors, such as impaired singing and speaking at school, and abnormal voice quality, including hoarseness.

“Benign vocal fold lesions was [sic] the most common diagnosis underlying voice complaints,” the authors wrote in the study.

Benign vocal fold lesions are noncancerous but abnormal tissue growths on vocal cords. These growths can occur due to vocal overuse and abuse, such as frequent talking, yelling, coughing, tantrums, straining the voice, or repeatedly clearing the throat.

While some benign vocal fold lesions are transient, vocal cord scarring is permanent and can cause lasting changes to a person’s voice.

“The results of this survey suggest that pediatric voice problems are relatively common and detract from quality of life,” the authors wrote.

“Considering that 12% of children in the current study had already experienced a voice complaint and 80% of these problems were chronic, it is clear that effective voice-related medical care is crucial for this population,” they wrote.

A Common Problem

The University of Wisconsin–Madison research team surveyed 1,154 parents of children aged 4 to 12. Parents were asked about their children’s behavior, including whether and how often they spoke or sang, whether they were social, and whether they had missed school.

The survey also asked about a child’s vocal symptoms and the history of these issues.

Among the respondents, 78 had children with current voice problems, and 138 had children who had had voice problems at some point.

Of the parents reporting voice problems in their children, nearly 60 percent said the problem began before the child turned 2, and in around 80 percent of the cases, the problem came on gradually.

Having voice problems was associated with poorer quality of life.

Sixty-three parents reported that their children missed school due to voice problems, and 40 reported that their children experienced an inability to do certain tasks. Forty-two parents said their child’s voice was associated with negative comments from teachers or adults.

Risk Factors for Voice Problems

The authors found that male children and those living in a larger household, those with poor voice intelligibility, maternal history of voice problems, who play online games, or are exposed to secondhand smoke have a greater risk of having voice problems.

The research team noted that male children and individuals living in homes with four or more people were twice as likely to have a voice problem. Benign vocal lesions are also twice as common in boys than in girls.

Other common causes for voice disorders were autism-related voice issues, respiratory illnesses, and allergies.

Secondhand smoke dramatically increases the likelihood of a child having voice problems. The researchers found that children exposed to secondhand smoke were 70 percent more likely to have an issue. The research team noted that secondhand smoke has also been known to stunt growth, cause sleep disturbances, and lead to poor cognitive function in children.

Poor cognitive function also seems to be a factor in voice problems; children with poorer speech intelligibility were more than twice as likely to report issues. Such issues were then associated with poor academic performance and negative perceptions from adults, creating a vicious cycle of eroding self-esteem for children with voice problems.

“These findings illustrate the manner in which voice problems present in children and emphasize the need for efficient and efficacious treatment of these conditions in children,” the research team concluded.