Stridor in childre

Abstract

Sometimes, babies are simply noisy breathers. They are gaining weight and growing well, and we think of them as pleasant squeakers–something that is not worrisome. But when stridor comes on suddenly, it must be evaluated , if left untreated, stridor can block the child’s airway. This can be life-threatening or even cause death. Stridor is often loudest when breathing in, but it can happen when breathing out. We think of wheezing as occurring when we breathe out, when we push air out of our lungs. Similarly, stridor can be confused with snoring or stertor (a low-pitched noise that comes from the nose, tongue, or back of throat), which are caused by an obstruction high up in the airway. Sometimes. The most common cause of stridor in babies is floppy voice box, or laryngomalacia. In some infants, the cartilage in the voice box hasn’t fully developed, or the voice box muscles are not yet strong enough. This causes stridor. It is usually not a concern, and it often resolves on its own around 1 year of age. It’s always important to get an accurate diagnosis to learn the true cause of stridor.