You don’t usually think about how you breathe, but recently, you’ve noticed that you can hear your child breathing — all the time. That’s not normal.
Noisy breathing when you have a cold is understandable, because your nasal passages may be blocked so you breathe out of your mouth. But your child doesn’t have a cold. Your loved one needs the attention of a doctor who specializes in ear, nose, and throat disorders.
Board-certified physician Dr. Nilesh Patel and our team offer a full scope of pediatric ENT service at Nilesh Patel, MD, in Midtown, New York City. Here, we take a closer look at some of the most common causes of noisy breathing in children.
If your child’s loud breathing is accompanied by perpetual cold symptoms, they may have allergies. Allergies spring from all sorts of triggers: Seasonal allergies may involve tree and grass pollen, while indoor environmental allergies may stem from dust mites or pet dander. Your child may also be allergic to substances like latex or specific foods.
If Dr. Patel suspects allergies, he can conduct allergy testing to identify the substances that cause your child’s symptoms. He prescribes oral medication, and if that doesn’t resolve your child’s symptoms, allergy shots can help free your child of symptoms like noisy breathing.
Dr. Patel tells you if your child’s tonsils and/or adenoids are enlarged. If they’re larger than normal, they can block their air flow, causing noisy breathing.
If your child has had tonsillitis, their tonsils can remain enlarged even after the infection is gone. If tonsillitis is a recurring issue, it’s standard procedure to remove the tonsils.
Has your child had frequent ear infections? Their adenoids may be the culprit. Your child’s adenoids help prevent infection and illness. However, they can also become enlarged after infections or due to allergies. If allergy treatment doesn’t resolve noisy breathing, Dr. Patel may recommend adenoid removal.
Noisy breathing may indicate that your child has a deviated septum. Your nose is divided into two nasal passages, with bone and cartilage separating them. A deviated septum means the bone and cartilage is off-center, making one nasal passage smaller than the other.
Researchers estimate that the majority of the population has deviated septums, but many are so minor that it never presents a problem. However, a severely deviated septum constricts a nasal passage, so it’s hard for your child to breathe through their nose. When sleeping, they may struggle to breathe — and you may notice they often sleep with their mouth open.
Dr. Patel can correct your child’s deviated septum so they can breathe normally. It’s an outpatient procedure, so your child goes home the same day.
It’s standard practice to wait to correct a deviated septum until your child’s facial growth is over, sometime in their late teens. Nasal sprays and other medications help ease symptoms until then. On occasion, it’s necessary to perform the procedure when a child is younger — for instance, if your child’s deviated septum is the result of a broken nose.
If your baby has noisy breathing, you may have been referred to Dr. Patel by their pediatrician. Laryngomalacia causes noisy breathing in infants.
Situated above their vocal cords, your baby’s laryngeal tissue is soft and floppy — and can readily cause a partial obstruction of their airway. Most cases resolve with medication or without intervention. However, if your child isn’t gaining weight and suffers from poor feeding ability, Dr. Patel may recommend a procedure called supraglottoplasty to treat the problem. He can access the tissue from your baby’s mouth, so there’s no external incision on their face.
When Dr. Patel examines your child, he may see a nasal polyp that’s obstructing their airway. He may prescribe a nasal spray to shrink the polyp.
Nasal polyps are sometimes associated with allergies. Medication may solve your child’s noisy breathing. If your child’s polyp is very large and constricts breathing, Dr. Patel can remove it. Sometimes nasal polyps in children signal other health concerns, and if Dr. Patel suspects this to be the case, he helps you understand next steps.
Are you concerned about your child’s noisy breathing? We can help. Call Nilesh Patel, MD, in Midtown, New York City, today, or request an appointment online at your convenience.
