Is Constant Clearing Of The Throat By A Child A Concern?

Posted on Wed, 11 Jan 2023

Question: Hi - my 7 year old daughter has been clearing her throat for a while now. I thought it was gluten and we did an elimination and she still kept it up. I'm trying to figure out if it's reflux or an allergic reaction, maybe dairy. She has complained on and off (for a long time) that her tummy hurts but she always continued to act just fine so I didn't do anything about it. We have an apt with a pediatric GI next week. I've had her on a PPI for three days now and do see an improvement but late in the day it really kicks back in. I'm not putting her on PPIs or H2s for long term relief though so I'm not sure what to do for her. The deep throat clearing makes me thing her esophagus is swollen. (And it's driving us all crazy at this point). Thoughts? Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Arnold Zedd (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Repeated throat clearing may be a tic.

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

I think your daughter is probably having a tic. Other tics include blinking eyes, sniffing, wrinkling forehead or nose. Tics are repeated abrupt, rapid, involuntary muscle contractions.

Their frequency is reduced by sleep and increased by anxiety and tension. They are usually self-limited, but a chronic tic can occur.

Scolding to make them stop aggravate matters and make them worse. They should be ignored.

I am unaware of abdominal pain being a tic.

Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be happy to help.

Regards,
Dr. Arnold Zedd, MD, FAAP

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee