What should you avoid eating if you have vocal cord polyps?

Written by Zhang Jun
Otolaryngology
Updated on June 02, 2025
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Patients with vocal cord polyps need a light diet and should avoid spicy and irritating foods. It is necessary for patients to adjust their digestive system function to avoid acid reflux. The cause of vocal cord polyps is generally due to long-term intake of spicy foods, digestive system disorders, gastric acid reflux, and long periods of loud talking, excessive fatigue, and overuse of the voice, which leads to congestion, edema, hyperplasia, and prolapse of the mucous membrane on the surface of the vocal cords. This condition can cause the patient to experience persistent hoarseness, which progressively worsens. During an examination with an electronic laryngoscope, a smooth, pale white or pale red abnormal neoplasm can be found at the anterior middle third of one vocal cord. It can lead to incomplete closure of the vocal cords, resulting in a hoarse voice. In terms of treatment, vocal cord polyps can be cured with a microlaryngoscopy under the support of a laryngoscope, where the polyp is surgically removed.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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Do vocal cord polyps cause a sensation of a foreign body?

A small subset of patients may feel a foreign body sensation in their vocal cord system. Generally, if the polyp is small, it is unlikely to cause a feeling of a foreign body. Most commonly, it causes hoarseness. If the sensation of a foreign body in the throat is prominent, this condition is primarily considered to be caused by chronic pharyngitis. Of course, if the vocal cord polyp is large, especially if it is a pedunculated vocal cord polyp, movement of the vocal cords, such as during speaking or breathing, may cause a sensation of a foreign body in the throat. It can also cause hoarseness, and more severe cases may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and difficulty breathing. If there are particularly severe and large bilateral vocal cord polyps, intense activity may lead to breathing difficulties and even cause suffocation due to impaired breathing.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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Foods to avoid with vocal cord polyps

Vocal cord polyps are benign neoplasms of the vocal cords, clinically primarily polyps at the anterior end of the vocal cords, mainly manifesting as hoarseness. The treatment mainly involves the removal of the vocal cord polyps under a microscope or endoscope. After surgery, we need to pay attention to certain dietary aspects. First, some spicy and irritating foods, such as chili peppers and alcohol, should be avoided. Second, it is important to regulate the temperature of foods; overly cold items, such as popsicles, or overly hot items, such as hot pot, should be consumed with caution. The third point is to avoid certain foods that can cause allergies, such as mangoes, especially if the patient has an allergic constitution; these should be avoided or minimized in the diet.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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How to conservatively treat vocal cord polyps?

Vocal cord polyps are a relatively common ENT disorder. In terms of treatment, there are generally two types: conservative treatment and surgical treatment. If the vocal cord polyps are small and the clinical symptoms are not particularly severe, conservative treatment is considered first. Common treatments include oral medication, which can be complemented with nebulization therapy. Most patients can gradually alleviate symptoms with medication. Additionally, voice training can be conducted to learn the correct and reasonable use of the voice. In daily life, it is necessary to avoid overuse of the voice as much as possible and to regularly re-examine the laryngoscopic observations to monitor any changes in the vocal cord polyps.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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Vocal cord polyps inflammation symptoms

Vocal cord polyps are a relatively common otolaryngological condition. If vocal cord polyps are accompanied by infection and inflammation, clinical symptoms can be quite extensive, commonly including sore throat, a sensation of a foreign body in the throat, burning, and itching, and there may also be a noticeable hoarseness. Generally, if the symptoms of vocal cord polyps are obvious and the inflammatory response is high, this situation can more significantly impact daily life and communication. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a laryngoscopy to assess the extent of the condition. In terms of treatment, oral medication and nebulization therapy are generally the main approaches, with a small number of patients requiring surgical treatment.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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Do vocal cord polyps absolutely require surgery?

Vocal cord polyps do not necessarily require surgery as there are various treatment options available. Clinically common treatments include medication, voice training, and surgical removal. If the polyp is small and the symptoms are mild, conservative treatment is generally recommended. This mainly involves voice training, oral medications, and nebulized drug therapy, along with regular check-ups using a laryngoscope to monitor changes. Most patients can effectively alleviate and recover through conservative treatment. However, if the polyp is large and causes significant hoarseness, surgical removal under a laryngoscope might be considered, followed by regular check-ups to prevent recurrence.