My Six Yr Old Clears His Throat Constantly

I would read about tics and PANDAS (or PANS).

If it is possibly a tic I would first discuss it privately with the doctor - i.e., not in front of my son.

Take him to see and ENT he may have enlarged tonsils. That was the case with my kiddo. He was put on an antibiotic and flonase and it stopped in a few days.

I would talk to a doctor. It could be an allergy, it could be a problem with his sinuses or tonsils. It may also be a tic. Best to have it checked out, since it doesn't sound normal.

Don't make a big deal out of it though. If it is a tic, you don't want to make him overly self conscious about it.

My son wound up having an ENT referral. He cleared his throat constantly bu had no nasal drainage. The ENT couldn't see anything and the XRay had not been read yet. He mentioned touretts in front of my 9 yr old and I was unhappy. He called the next day and told me he was sorry and said my son had bilateral impacted sinuses. All his drainage goes down the back of his throat and nobody saw it. One round of serious antibiotics and his Tourette's was cured!

Many kids develop some type of tic around this age. Most go away by themselves and it's best not to draw attention to it. But, some tics have other more serious causes, like Tourette Syndrome, for example. You could wait to see if it subsides or not over time, or you could check with your doctor to determine if there's something more to this behavior.

Yes, it sounds like a tic. Have you noticed any other physical things like shrugging, mouth opening? Like Sue said, most times they go away by themselves, but it's best to have him evaluated by a professional. Call up your pedi and tell them you have some concerns.

Call your pedi and ask the nurse as they may ask questions to help figure out if you need to see the doctor.

My son did this for 4 months straight when he was 7!! It was like a cross between a mini cough and an "A-hem" sound. Drove me up the wall but he had no other symptoms so I did the wait and see... probably waited a bit longer than I should have but one day it just stopped. In researching things I came across a condition that is some type of transient asthma that occurs when there are bits of dust etc in the lungs. His all began when we ripped up all of our tile flooring to get wood. The house was FILLED with dust from jackhammering up all of the glue etc that was holding the tile in place (newer home so no threat of lead)... anyway, it also said that even once the irritation is gone the kids can kind of do it as habit. Either way, it eventually went away. If he has no other symptoms I would wait... they will likely give him something like albuterol, which can be a lifesaver if you really need it, but not something to take if you don't.

Mine son does this during allergy season (for him, spring, summer, and fall). It only goes away in the winter - which you don't have in Florida :) Even when we treat his allergies so his nose isn't runny, he still has postnasal drip in his throat, triggering the throat clearing.

We took him to doctors - allergist, ENT, plus his ped, and it was all a waste of time. We just ignore it now.

My daughter used to constantly do a little cough. Turns out she has asthma.

Wouldn't hurt to eliminate potential physical causes.

It sounds like a tic.

Did he recently get over a cold or flu? He might not even realize he's doing it, but during the cold he got used to clearing his throat, so he feels like he needs to continue. Gently remind him, or ask him to go blow his nose.

My son has had a few (he's 10). He's done the throat clearing, had an eyebrow tic, and a sniffling tic. He also occasionally made a soft clicking noise in the back of his throat.

I had a few tics too, when I was 6-12 years old. They all went away on their own. It wasn't tourrette's. I (and my son, and your son) was just growing. It's a stage and he'll likely grow out of it with gentle guidance.

I was going to say pandas or allergies, but the acid reflux is a possiblitly too.

why would you not get this checked out?? poor thing!

I read the answers... but if it's like my son, he's having a mild asthma attack. My son, then six, had been clearing his throat (not in major AHEMs or anything, but little clearings which would get worse as the day went along). Then one night he was clearing his throat but said something was in it. Against my own reluctance, I took him to the emergency room. The moment he got through the door, the nurse gasped and said, "Oh, you're having an asthma attack."

Some children show the stress to their breathing in different ways. My son had never wheezed or anything, never done any of the usual asthmatic things I'd ever heard of. When he saw the doctor, he was diagnosed with allergy-induced asthma. Once I knew to look for different signs I realized that his voice became more high-pitched, too.

Turns out he's allergic to cats and dogs (and that's pretty much it). If he touches and animal, within about 15 minutes he gets a mild rash on his neck (almost unnoticeable) and if he doesn't get benadryl immediately, he'll start the squeeky throat-clearing thing.

The only way you'll know for sure is to see a doctor. But I wouldn't ignore it. My son is on flonase and cortisol, but he still keeps his rescue inhaler in his backpack and takes it to school every day (and he's now 8).

Good luck, and I'd love to know what you find out!

astma and allergies... he probably has sinus drainage..

Mine did that frequently too, and I wondered about a tic, but no. Turned out it was a symptom of a "big kid" ear infection. These (more common in kids 6 and older) don't cause the acute ear pain you see in younger kids, but they lead to chronic sinus drainage -- and therefore a whole lot of throat clearing. If untreated, they lead to hearing loss.

My son's pediatrician said she didn't see any inflammation in his ear, but she referred us to an ENT. The ENT had more sensitive instruments and found moderate inflammation of the middle ear. He prescribed a round of antibiotics, and my son hasn't given us one "ahem" since.

What do you feed your son? I eat a very clean diet and found that if I ever ate anything highly processed or with dairy it would happen. I haven't had dairy in years since.
Children don't need dairy and it's a big phlegm producer. If you're concerned about calcium (which you shouldn't be) make sure he's eating lots of fresh veggies raw or steamed. If he doesn't want to eat them blend in a smoothie with some nuts and water which will produce a milk like substance. add some fresh fruit to sweeten it up (no sugar, makes the situation worse again). You can also stick some powdered vitamins (sweetener free) in as he won't taste them. Amazing Grass for Kidz (yes spelled that way) has a powder that's really full of nutrients to add to the smoothie too. Don't use many frozen fruits as you'll notice the clearing starting again. Try gluten free too.

My son is five and has allergies-- he most certainly drove us up a wall with about two months of throat clearing. It's passed. For what it's worth, I have a sister who has three older kids-- she said they've gone through throat clearing, sinus clearing, weird humming, strange noise phases... all that to say, I'd try to ignore it as much as possible and just let him know that he should tell you if it's bothering him. I still don't know if the throat clearing was allergies or just behavioral, but I appreciate your concern for your son. I was worried for a bit with mine, too.

Acid Reflux, may be? Kids do have that also. A cold or a tic?

could be something physical like allergies, or it could be a mild case of tourettes (which is often accompanied by OCD.)
either way, you should get it checked out. but try not to get in anxious knot over it, mama (hard though that is, i know!) either way it's something that can be dealt with.
khairete
S.

My 5 year old has had a number of tic that have come and gone...blinking eyes, biting nails, a slight stutter. Right now he constantly wipes his mouth but I think that has something to do with his chapped lips. All have passed. You could have sinuses checked but it may just be a tic.