tumour

My father is finding it difficult to swallow food for the past three months. What could be the reasons? What should he do?

Inflammation of the digestive tract, retropharyngeal abscess or oesophagitis often makes it difficult for a person to swallow food. However, this could also be due to a tumour or enlarged lymph node in the chest, pharyngeal pouch or cardiospasm (enlarged oesophagus with spasm at the cardiac end). You have not mentioned the type of food your father finds difficult to swallow. So I assume that he is unable to swallow solid food. This could be due to some oesophageal malignancy. Consult an ENT surgeon immediately.

pus discharge

I have observed that pus oozes out of my seven-year-old daughter’s ears frequently. Please suggest a remedy.

This could be a case of middle ear infection or perforation of the tympanic membrane. You have not mentioned whether your daughter suffers from pain during pus discharge. In some cases, the patient suffers from pain, which subsides after the discharge stops. But in case of perforation in the tympanic membrane, patients do not complain of any pain. Consult an ENT surgeon for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Speech therapy

My three-year-old daughter can not speak properly. No improvement has been observed even after admitting her to a play school. What could be the reason behind this? Please advise.

Your daughter could be suffering from some congenital defect, which could be due to birth trauma or prolonged labour, or consumption of certain drugs during pregnancy. A problem in hearing could also be affecting her verbal skills. If she has no defect in hearing, she should be referred for speech therapy.

blocked nostrils

I suffer from frequent cold during monsoon. My nose gets blocked. Please suggest a permanent solution.

You are probably suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis. It occurs due to change of weather. The colour of the nasal discharge is usually pale. The problem could also be due to tonsillitis or sinusitis. You need to consult an ENT specialist. In allergic rhinitis, there should be long-term anti allergic treatment.

Tonsillitis

My child, aged eight, suffers from recurrent pain in the throat, often accompanied by fever. He finds it difficult to swallow food. The local physician said it is a case tonsillitis.

Tonsils protect our body from getting infected by producing antibodies to combat the germs. Tonsillitis is the infection of the palatal tonsil, located between the anterior and posterior pillar of the oral cavity. Frequent infection makes a child weak and ill, hence it’s required to be treated properly either by medicine or surgery. But in your case, as the child still doesn’t have a stable immune system, I would advise you to delay the surgery. Consult an ENT surgeon at the earliest.

hoarse voice

I am a 48-year-old woman. For the past four months my voice has turned hoarse. What could be the reason? What should I do now?

Hoarseness in the voice may be due to a vocal polyp, singer’s nodule or any lesion in the vocal cord. As your problem has been persisting for a long time, you may have organic pathology. Paralysis of the laryngeal nerve, laryngitis, may make the voice hoarse. Exposure to dry weather, smoke, dust and excessive vocal use can also make the voice hoarse. Consult an ENT surgeon for proper diagnosis.