I’m back with this week's #DOTD (Disease of the Day) post! Laryngitis has been a hot topic amongst our readers lately, so I thought I’d bite the bullet and write about it before there were any more brawls over “which larynx-related disease is the best” in our comments section… Read on, my fellow larynx enthusiasts!
1) What is it?
Laryngitis is simply the inflammation of the larynx, which results in pain or discomfort of the throat. Usually, people who have laryngitis will have a hoarse or croaky voice, or they might even lose their voice completely depending on the severity of the inflammation! Upon examination (possibly via a laryngoscopy), the patient might be seen to have various inflamed structures (such as their vocal cords, or even their arytenoids), or excessive secretion of mucous. (1)
2) How do you get it?
Most people have had laryngitis at some point in their lives. If you've ever strained your voice (which is pretty easy to do if you're like me at concerts!) to the point where you feel pain in your throat, you've most likely had it! There are lots of other ways of getting laryngitis, however. Bacterial infection, environmental irritants (for example, cigarette smoke) and other health problems such as allergies may result in inflammation. It's really common to see laryngitis when you've caught a cold as well, or as a result of acid reflux which can damage the larynx.
3) What are some symptoms?
There are a variety of symptoms that come with laryngitis,
and most of you have probably experienced a lot of them. Like I mentioned before, along with a plain old
sore throat, you can have a hoarse voice and even lose your voice
completely if it’s severe enough. You'll probably find yourself wanting to cough because of the irritation and itchy feeling in your throat, or constantly be clearing your throat if there's a lot of mucous buildup. (1)
4) How do you treat it?
If your laryngitis is mild, and you know you have it because you were out doing some loud karaoke last night, you can probably make do by just resting your voice and drinking some warm honey tea. Some people suggest gargling with warm salt water to clear out the mucous, or even breathing humidified air to ease the discomfort of an itchy, dry throat. If these don't work, it's recommended that you go see a doctor because they may be able to prescribe steroids to help with the inflammation!
5) Anything else?
5) Anything else?
There are acute and chronic types of laryngitis, and which one you have depends on the duration of the affliction. Laryngitis due to having a cold, or because you strained your voice one day will probably lead to you having the acute version, but if you smoke or suffer from reflux, your symptoms will most likely be chronic.
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References:
1. Ulualp SO, Toohill RJ, Hoffmann R, Shaker R. Pharyngeal pH monitoring in patients with posterior laryngitis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1999 May; 120(5):672-7.
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References:
1. Ulualp SO, Toohill RJ, Hoffmann R, Shaker R. Pharyngeal pH monitoring in patients with posterior laryngitis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1999 May; 120(5):672-7.
