The sign in your child’s voice that could give an early indication of a deadly disease later in life

They are located in the larynx, a part of the respiratory system that allows air to pass from the throat to the lungs.

When air passes through the lungs and then the larynx, it causes the vocal cords to vibrate, which produces soundalso known as your voice.

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

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

We spoke to laryngologist and airway surgeon, Mr Chadwan Al Yaghchi, to find out what kind of health problems your voice can reveal.

1. Hoarse voice: HPV

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

According to the NHS, it is usually a sign of acute laryngitis (inflammation of the voice box), which occurs because of a cold, a chest infection or overuse of the voice.

You can usually fix this with a little TLC and a few early bedtimes.

But in some cases, a hoarse voice could be a sign of something serious, like cancer or HPV.

“Anyone who has a hoarse voice for more than three weeks should see a doctor to have their vocal cords examined,” Chadwan explained.

The hoarseness will likely come down to “something benign” like a polyp or nodule on the vocal cords, he said.

These are noncancerous growths that prevent the vocal cords (also called vocal folds) from vibrating normally. They can be removed through surgery.

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

Both HPV and cancer also cause vocal fold growth.

HPV is transmitted sexually, but – as it doesn’t usually cause symptoms or problems – most people don’t even know they have it.

It can be transmitted through oral sex, so it can end up in the throat.

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

In some cases, it can trigger warts or growths that, when in the throat, can affect the voice.

But two strains – HPV16 and HPV18 – can trigger cancers, including cancers of the neck, such as pharyngeal (throat) and laryngeal (voice box).

2. Monotonous voice: Parkinson’s disease

A monotonous voice can turn even the most entertaining topic into something boring.

And to make matters worse, a unique tone of voice can also be a sign of a neurological disease, such as Parkinson’s disease, Chadwan explained.

He said: “This is because the movement of the vocal folds is controlled by the brain, so if something goes wrong in the brain, the voice is often affected.

“People with the condition are likely to suffer from poor articulation and soft, whispery, monotonous voices.”

Parkinson’s is a disease that causes progressive damage to parts of the brain over many years.

Approximately one in every 500 people is thought to be affected by the disease.

Exactly what causes nerve cell loss is unclear.

But most experts believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors is responsible.

3. Deep voice: PCOS

Deeper voices are generally associated with men – and there’s a scientific reason for that.

“The vocal cords are two bands of muscle and, like all muscles in the body, they grow when pumped with the male hormone testosterone,” explains 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 functioning 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).