Laryngitis – symptoms in children and adults. How to cure laryngitis?

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Laryngitis is a respiratory disease that can be dangerous at times, especially in children. It causes the vocal cords to swell, thus changing the voice. What are the causes of laryngitis? Is it contagious?

Laryngitis – what is it?

Laryngitis is an inflammation or infection of the larynx and the vocal cords within it. Laryngitis causes the vocal cords to swell, changing the way they vibrate and the sound of the voice. Depending on the degree of the swelling, the voice may become slightly hoarse, become a whisper or even disappear temporarily.

Normally the vocal cords open and close to generate voice in a slow, measured movement. When a person has laryngitis, their vocal cords are swollen. This changes the way air flows through the throat.

This change in airflow distorts the sounds produced by the vocal cords. People with laryngitis often have a voice that is hoarse, hoarse, or too soft to hear. In chronic laryngitis, inflammation lasts for several weeks. The vocal cords may become tense, and growths such as polyps or nodules may form.

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Laryngitis – symptoms in adults

Laryngitis can cause many different symptoms in adults. It may appear, among others:

1. hoarseness,
2. speech difficulties
3. sore throat,
4. fever,
5. persistent cough
6. frequent grunting.

These symptoms come on suddenly and often get worse over the next 2 to 3 days. If symptoms last longer than 3 weeks, it is likely that the disease has become chronic. This suggests a more serious cause that warrants further investigation.

Laryngitis is often associated with other diseases. Tonsillitis, throat infection, cold or flu can occur along with laryngitis, so the following symptoms may also occur:

1. Headache,
2. runny nose,
3. pain when swallowing
4. fatigue and malaise.

See a doctor if symptoms persist for more than a week or are very severe.

Read also: Three-day-long (three-day fever) – symptoms, treatment, complications

Laryngitis – symptoms in children

The symptoms of laryngitis in children may differ from those in adults. The condition is often characterized by hoarseness, barking cough and fever.

Children who have any of the following symptoms are advised to seek medical attention:

1. difficulty breathing or swallowing
2. fever above 39,4 ° Celsius,
3. drooling
4. loud, high-pitched breathing sounds as you inhale.

Laryngitis in a child causes a characteristic so-called “barking” cough. The above symptoms may also indicate epiglottitis. It is an inflammation of the tissue surrounding the windpipe. Epiglottitis can develop in both adults and children and, in some cases, can be life-threatening.

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Laryngitis – causes

Laryngitis that lasts more than three weeks is known as chronic laryngitis. This type of laryngitis is usually caused by exposure to irritants. Among adults, the most common causes of chronic laryngitis are:

voice abuse or misuse – it means talking too much or too loudly. This can be an ongoing problem for people whose work depends on their voice, including singers, actors, telephone operators, lawyers, teachers, judges, coaches, and anyone who has to shout while working (construction workers, staff at airports and train stations, factory workers). Even children can develop chronic laryngitis due to the overuse or misuse of their voice, especially if they scream or strain their voices while practicing choirs, cheerleading or playing in the playground.

Smoking – Cigarette smoke irritates the larynx, causing swelling and inflammation that thickens the vocal cords. This boldness can lower the pitch of your voice or make it sound hoarse and harsh.

alcohol abuse – alcohol causes chemical irritation of the larynx which produces changes similar to those seen in smokers,

gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) – GERD is a condition where acid from the stomach flows back (reflux) into the esophagus and throat, irritating the larynx. Since acid reflux tends to be worse when lying down, hoarseness caused by GERD is often most noticeable in the morning as soon as you wake up. While some people with GERD also suffer from heartburn, indigestion, and other gastrointestinal symptoms, these symptoms are often absent in people with chronic laryngitis due to GERD. Instead, these people may have other nose and throat conditions, such as:

1. feeling of a lump in the throat
2. persistent need to clear your throat,
3. discomfort when swallowing,
4. persistent cough

Work-related exposure to irritating chemicals or dusts – many industrial products are suspected to cause chronic laryngitis and other respiratory problems.

Less commonly, chronic laryngitis may be caused by chronic sinusitis. Rarely, it may be caused by an inflammatory disease or infection directly affecting the vocal cords (e.g. sarcoidosis or tuberculosis).

Acute laryngitis is a temporary condition caused by overuse of the vocal cords. It can also be caused by an infection. Treatment of the underlying disease resolves the laryngitis. Acute laryngitis can be caused by:

1. viral infections,
2. stretching the vocal cords, speaking or shouting
3. bacterial infections,
4. drinking too much alcohol.

Laryngitis – diagnosis

Sometimes a medical history is enough to diagnose laryngitis. During the visit, the specialist asks about the type and duration of symptoms and whether we often get sick. Important information is whether we drink alcohol, where we work or what preparations we take. Then the ears and throat are examined, the doctor also checks the patency of the nose and assesses the appearance of the vocal folds.

1. Find out more about the phoniatrist, the doctor who treats voice abnormalities

Sometimes the basic methods are not enough and the doctor sends the patient for further specialist tests. One of them is e.g. strobe examination (the so-called videostroboscopy of the larynx), during which a device is inserted into the patient’s throat, which illuminates the larynx with a stroboscopic light. With this method, doctors analyze in slow motion how the vocal folds behave.

Sometimes, in the case of laryngitis, computed tomography and histopathological examination are recommended, in which the collected tissues are subjected to microscopic analysis.

Laryngitis – treatment

Acute laryngitis should resolve as a result of sparing the voice and moisturizing the vocal cords or taking mild drugs recommended by a doctor or pharmacist (e.g. lozenges). In the case of chronic laryngitis, what to do depends on the cause of the condition. If it is alcohol or cigarettes, the irritating factor should be eliminated.

When a bacterial infection is at the root of the problem with the larynx, an antibiotic is sometimes indicated, in other cases the doctor may prescribe glucocorticosteroids. The diagnosis of purulent epiglottitis requires hospitalization.

It is best for children to stay in humid rooms, for this you can use air humidifiers or put a wet towel on the radiator. A very good way to fight laryngitis is inhalation, which consists in inhaling water vapor with the addition of special preparations. This method is good because the drugs penetrate even the smallest bronchioles.

Antibiotics, various relaxing and desensitizing drugs as well as drugs that facilitate expectoration are added to the inhalation. This method is intended for a little older children for whom taking a deep breath is not a problem.

In addition to the above-mentioned methods, rubbing ointments can also be used in children. They contain essential oils such as eucalyptus. These ointments clear the respiratory tract and relieve unpleasant symptoms associated with laryngitis.

Also read: Essential oils – action and application

Is acute laryngitis contagious?

Acute laryngitis is contagious. However, the extent to which it is contagious depends on whether the cause (s) of the laryngitis are bacteria / fungi, viruses, or whether it is due to the underlying disease. Most cases of laryngitis result from viruses that are not particularly contagious on their own.

Research suggests that the most likely time for the viruses causing the laryngitis to spread to other people is the most likely time for an infected person to have a fever. A person with only a hoarse voice, sore throat, and coughing is less contagious.

Cases of bacterial and fungal causes of laryngitis are less common, but these types of infections are more contagious than viruses and therefore more susceptible to transmission. Washing your hands regularly, especially after coughing, and avoiding sharing food or utensils are important preventive measures to prevent the transmission of laryngitis.

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Laryngitis – prophylaxis

Since laryngitis is often caused by a common viral infection such as a cold or the flu, it cannot always be prevented. However, you can reduce your risk of developing the disease by:

1. getting vaccinated against the flu
2. following the rules of personal hygiene – e.g. washing hands before and after eating and after using the toilet,
3. avoiding close contact with people who have respiratory infections such as colds or the flu – especially if you are prone to laryngitis,
4. avoiding irritants such as smoke or dust – especially in the case of a cold or other respiratory infection,
5. quitting tobacco smoking,
6. avoiding frequent drinking of alcohol,
7. lifting the head with pillows while sleeping – to protect the larynx from acid reflux while sleeping,
8. not straining the voice – it is important that people who regularly excessively use their voice receive adequate training so as not to damage the larynx.

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