Laryngitis is a common medical condition characterized by inflammation and swelling of the larynx (voice box). The majority of cases are caused by common viruses, infections or overuse of your voice. Laryngitis is not considered a serious health concern.

Symptoms and Signs

Laryngitis may occur at the same time or a couple of days after you have had a sore throat. Once the infection has cleared up, laryngitis can persist for a few weeks afterwards. At times, laryngitis can be an indication of serious laryngeal cancer. The following symptoms definitely warrant a visit to a head, neck, and throat specialist:

A sore throat accompanied by a fever
Coughing up yellow or green phlegm (possibly bacterial sinusitis or bronchitis)
Coughing up blood
Difficulty drinking liquids
Previous history of throat and/or breathing problems
Symptoms continuing for two to three weeks regardless of voice rest
Unexplained loss of weight
Discomfort or pain of the throat
Associated neck swelling

Symptoms and signs of common laryngitis include the following:

Hoarseness
Sensation of having a “tickle in your throat”
An urge to constantly clear your throat
Low grade fever
Nasal obstruction / Nasal Congestion
Post Nasal Drainage
Cough

If your child only has hoarseness, either with or without accompanying symptoms, like a mild fever (under 100.5 F), muscle aches, runny nose, nasal congestion or cough, their laryngitis should be treated in the same manner as an adult case. However, if your child has a high fever, sore throat, refuses to eat/drink and in the case of an infant has fewer wet diapers than normal (possible dehydration), you should take them to the emergency department immediately.

Some symptoms can be extremely serious and actually life threatening. In these cases, you or your child should proceed immediately to the nearest emergency room or call 911:

Difficulty breathing
Sensation that the throat is closing up
Unable to swallow properly
Drooling
Can only breathe sitting in an upright position
Whistling sound in the throat when breathing

Causes and Concerns

Typically, laryngitis results from a virus or using your voice too much. It can also develop from a bacterial throat infection. Bacterial and viral cases of laryngitis are quite contagious. On very rare occasions, laryngitis infections can be caused by more serious conditions like fungal infections, tuberculosis or syphilis. A patient with a persistent case of laryngitis should see head, neck, and throat specialist to rule out the possibility of a tumor, which could prove to be cancerous. Anyone who smokes or consumes alcohol is at a higher risk for throat cancers.

Solutions and Options

The majority of the time, you or your child can be evaluated by your doctor with a physical examination. He or she will concentrate on the throat, nose, ears and neck. In the case of your child, if they have severe symptoms, your doctor may send them for a chest and neck x-ray. A thorough examination of the throat may be performed with a small, lighted scope that is guided through the nose to the throat, after the nose is frozen with local anaesthetic.

This procedure takes a few minutes but it can provide important information concerning the condition of the laryngeal nerve controlling movements of the vocal cords. On occasion, a head, neck, and throat specialist might draw blood for a complete blood count (CBC) specimen. This would probably be done more in the case of your child rather than yourself.

If symptoms have only lasted for a few days or come on after overusing the voice, the main treatment is to try to rest the voice for as long as possible as well as drinking lots of fluids. If you or your child display symptoms of viral infection (i.e. low fever, cough, congested or runny nose), then you need to push fluids and take either Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) to relieve these symptoms.

You or your child should also try inhaling steam from a hot bath/shower or using a cool mist humidifier to help ease symptoms. Generally speaking, the above home treatments should cure or improve the laryngitis. If the laryngitis lingers, make an appointment to see a specialist. He/she may prescribe antibiotics if an accompanying bacterial infection is suspected.

Other procedures that may be recommended:

Adenoidectomy

Balloon Eustachian Tube Dilation

Balloon Sinuplasty

Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

Allergy Immunotherapy

Summary

It is extremely important to the overall health and wellbeing of your entire family to never ignore serious medical symptoms, such as persistent laryngitis. Call today for an appointment to meet with Dr. Tamez.

Dr. Tamez of Tejas Ear, Nose and Throat has extensive experience in all aspects of Laryngology. Call and make an appointment so that Dr. Tamez can begin the process of educating you about your particular issue and getting you on the road to regaining your voice.

Additional Reading: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/laryngitis/article_…