ENT conditions (Mr Gaurav Kumar)

  My Child Struggles to Breathe During Sport — Could It Be Their Voice Box Rather Than Asthma? Your child enjoys football, swimming or running. They are usually healthy and active. However, during PE lessons or competitive sport, something unusual happens. They suddenly stop exercising. They appear breathless. They may describe a tight feeling in their throat. Sometimes you hear a high-pitched noise when they breathe in. After a few minutes of rest, their breathing returns to normal. Perhaps they have already been assessed for asthma. Maybe they have been prescribed an inhaler, but the symptoms continue. Naturally, parents begin wondering: “Why does my child struggle to breathe during sport?” “Could this be asthma?” “Why does their throat feel tight?” “Should they stop exercising?” One possible explanation is exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction   (EILO) . This condition is increasingly recognised in children and teenagers who experience breathing difficulties during vigorou...

  My Child Cannot Smell After a Cold — Will Their Sense of Smell Come Back? Your child has recently recovered from a cold. The coughing has stopped. Their nose is no longer particularly blocked. They are back at school and seem otherwise well. But then something unusual happens. You offer their favourite meal, and they say: “I can't smell anything.” Perhaps they cannot recognise the smell of an orange, freshly baked bread or their usual shampoo. Another child may describe something different: “Everything smells horrible.” “My food smells burnt.” Naturally, parents begin wondering: “Has the virus damaged their sense of smell?” “Will it recover?” “Should we see an ENT specialist?” A reduced or altered sense of smell can occur following a respiratory infection. In many children, symptoms improve as the nose recovers. However, some children experience persistent symptoms that deserve further assessment. What is anosmia? Anosmia means a complete loss of smell. A child with anosmia may ...

  My Baby Was Born Without an Ear Canal — Will They Be Able to Hear? A Parent's Guide to Aural Atresia and Microtia You have just welcomed your baby into the world. As you hold them, you notice something unexpected. One ear looks smaller than the other. Perhaps the outer ear's normal folds are not fully formed. When you look more closely, you cannot see the usual opening leading into the ear canal. You begin wondering: “Why has my baby's ear developed differently?” “Can they hear through that ear?” “Will this affect their speech?” “Will they need surgery?” These are understandable questions. One possible explanation is a congenital condition called aural atresia , sometimes associated with microtia . Although the ear's appearance may be noticeable at birth, the most important early question concerns hearing. What is congenital aural atresia? Aural atresia is a developmental condition in which the external ear canal has not formed normally. The ear canal is the passage t...