Child Having Difficulty In Swallowing And Coughing. Should I Be Concerned?

Posted on Mon, 4 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 4 Nov 2013 Answered on

Mon, 25 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : My two and a half year old has been making gulping like noises (almost like she is swallowing too hard) for a while now although today it is much more frequent and she is coughing afterwards in her sleep. I mentioned this to her pediatrician quite a long time ago and they did not seem concerned. It also sometimes happens after eating and drinking. Should she be seen for this? I am concerned. Thank you.

Answered by Dr. E Venkata Ramana (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: child should be seen for this. Detailed Answer: Hi, Thank you for your query on Healthcare Magic. Gulping like noises in your child may be due to local problems such as pharyngitis because of throat clearing action or due to tics. And I like to know the duration of these complaint. Some times reflux of stomach contents in children with gastroesophageal reflux will cause cough during sleep associated with gulping noises. Tics can present with throat clearing actions, gulping noises so this entity also to be considered aftet ruling out the organic problems such as throat infection, pharyngitis, and gastroesophageal reflux. Therefore I suggest you to take her to the Pediatrician for clinical examination to examine her throat to look for any signs of infection and to rule out other problems. Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know. Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar