The sign in your child’s voice that may be an early sign of a fatal disease later in life

These are located in your larynx, a part of the respiratory system that allows air to move from your throat to your lungs.

When air passes through the lungs and then through the larynx, the vocal cords vibrate, creating a sound – your voice.

Like any other part of your body, your vocal cords and the surrounding area can be affected by disease.

And because we use our voice all day, every day, it can be very obvious when something is wrong.

We spoke to laryngologist and lung surgeon Chadwan Al Yaghchi to find out what health problems your voice may reveal.

1. Hoarse voice: HPV

A hoarse voice in the morning or after a night of drinking is to be expected.

According to the NHS, this is usually a sign of acute laryngitis, which can be caused by a cold, a chest infection or overuse of the voice.

Usually, the problem can be solved with a little affection and a few early bedtimes.

In some cases, however, a hoarse voice can be a sign of a serious illness, such as cancer or HPV.

“Anyone who has had a hoarse voice for three weeks should go to the doctor and have their vocal cords examined,” Mr Chadwan explained.

There is a good chance that the hoarseness is due to “something harmless” like a polyp or a nodule on the vocal cords, he said.

These are benign growths that prevent the normal vibration of your vocal cords (also called vocal folds). They can be surgically removed.

“In rarer cases, it is a sign of a serious cancer or HPV infection,” he added.

Both HPV and cancer cause growths of the vocal cords.

HPV is sexually transmitted, but because the infection usually causes no symptoms or problems, most people don’t even know they have it.

Transmission is possible through oral sex, which is why it can also end up in the throat.

There are about 200 different forms of the disease, most of which are harmless and heal on their own.

In some cases, warts or growths may appear in the throat, which can affect the voice.

But two strains – HPV16 and HPV18 – can cause cancer, including neck cancers such as pharyngeal cancer and laryngeal cancer.

2. Monotonous voice: Parkinson’s disease

A monotonous voice can turn even the most entertaining topic into a bore.

And what makes matters worse, a monotonous voice can also be a sign of a neurological disease such as Parkinson’s, Mr Chadwan explained.

He said: “This is because the movement of the vocal cords is controlled by the brain. So when something goes wrong in the brain, the voice is often affected.”

“People with this condition are likely to suffer from poor articulation and a soft, breathy, monotonous voice.”

Parkinson’s is a disease in which parts of the brain become increasingly damaged over many years.

It is estimated that about one in 500 people are affected by this disease.

The exact causes of the loss of nerve cells are unclear.

However, most experts believe that a combination of genetic and environmental factors is responsible.

3. Deep voice: PCOS

Deeper voices are usually associated with men – and there is a scientific reason for this.

“The vocal cords are made up of two bundles of muscles and, like all muscles in the body, they grow when they are pumped with the male hormone testosterone,” explains Mr Chadwan.

This means that women who suffer from certain hormonal problems such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are also likely to have a deeper voice, he added.

PCOS is a common condition that affects the function of a woman’s ovaries.

In some women, it can be triggered by hormonal imbalances, such as high levels of insulin or androgens (“male” hormones).