“In general, throat clearing is a non-specific a symptom of many things,” says Dr. Bande Virgil, MD, a board certified pediatrician, professor of clinical pediatrics, and Amazon Best Selling Contributing Author of “The Chronicles of Women in White Coats.”
“Post-nasal drip from allergies can cause throat irritation which results in clearing,” says Dr. Virgil.
“Some of the throat clearing patterns and behaviors may be situational. This suggests something that could be an anxiety or stress response.” five
It can also be a case of mimicking. Does a parent habitually clear their throat?
“Solutions are to take note of the context and frequency,” continues Dr. Virgil. “Is there a seasonality to it? What other symptoms does your child have (stuffy nose? often sneezing, for example).
“The solutions will be based on the underlying reason for the throat clearing.”
Tourette’s syndrome (a tic disorder) is also a possibility, as is chronic acid reflux.
One thing that you, as a parent, do NOT want to do is order your child to stop clearing his throat!
Though it’s annoying as heck, demanding that they stop will very likely be futile.
My brother was always clearing his throat as a child. It was all the time. My mother repeatedly told him to stop. It was fruitless.
He might stop for a little while, but then it would act up again. This was all throughout his childhood and teen-hood.
The cause of this was never discovered, but to this day, I’m convinced it’s some kind of tic issue.
The ideal physician to take the child to is a pediatric otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor), since repeated noises that come from the throat, such as clearing, are often caused by something going on with the throat or sinuses.
