On this page:
• What Is Laryngitis?
• Signs and Symptoms of Laryngitis
• Causes of Laryngitis
• Risk Factors for Laryngitis
• When to Seek Medical Advice
• Diagnosis of Laryngitis
• Treatment of Laryngitis
• Prevention of Laryngitis
• Self Care for Laryngitis
• Coping with Laryngitis
What Is Laryngitis?
Laryngitis is an inflammation of your voice box (larynx) due to overuse, irritation or infection. The larynx is a framework of cartilage, muscles and mucous membranes that forms the entrance of your windpipe (trachea). Inside the larynx are your vocal cords - two folds of mucous membrane covering muscle and cartilage.
Normally, your vocal cords open and close smoothly, forming sounds through their movement and vibration. But when your vocal cords become inflamed or irritated, they swell, causing distortion of the sounds produced by air passing over them. As a result, your voice sounds hoarse. In some cases, your voice can become so faint as to be undetectable.
Laryngitis may be short-lived (acute) or long-lasting (chronic). Although acute laryngitis usually is nothing more than an irritation, persistent hoarseness can signal a more serious problem.
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Signs and Symptoms of Laryngitis
Laryngitis often makes you feel the need to constantly clear your throat. Other signs and symptoms may include:
• Hoarseness
• Weak voice
• Tickling sensation and rawness of your throat
• Sore throat
• Dry throat
• Dry cough
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Causes of Laryngitis
Usually, a viral infection causes acute laryngitis. A bacterial infection also may be the cause, but this is less common. Acute laryngitis may also occur during the course of or after another illness, such as a cold, flu or pneumonia.
Common causes of chronic laryngitis include constant irritation from excessive alcohol, heavy smoking or reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus and throat, a condition called esophageal reflux disease.
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Risk factors for Laryngitis
The following factors place you at greater risk of developing laryngitis:
• Having a respiratory infection, such as a cold, influenza, bronchitis or sinusitis
• Exposure to irritating substances, such as cigarette smoke, excessive alcohol, stomach acid or workplace chemicals
• Overusing your voice, by speaking too much, speaking too loudly, shouting or singing
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When to Seek Medical Advice
Laryngitis is usually a temporary problem that either improves by itself or clears after treatment. You can manage most acute cases of laryngitis with self-care steps, such as resting your voice, drinking plenty of fluids and sucking on lozenges. If hoarseness lasts for more than two weeks, see your otolaryngologist.
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Diagnosis of Laryngitis
The primary sign of laryngitis is hoarseness. Changes in your voice can vary with the degree of infection or irritation, ranging from mild hoarseness to almost total loss of your voice. Your doctor may ask whether you smoke or if you have any health conditions - such as a cold, influenza or allergies - that may be causing vocal irritation. Your doctor may also ask you whether any overuse of your vocal cords - such as singing or shouting - may have irritated your vocal cords.
In children, a cold may lead to croup - inflammation of the larynx and the airway just beneath it. Croup causes a loud barking cough and typically a hoarse voice. In adults, other causes of chronic hoarseness may include sores (contact ulcers) or growths (polyps or nodules) on the vocal cords, loosening of vocal cords due to aging, and vocal cord paralysis, which can result from injury, stroke or a tumor.
If you have chronic hoarseness, your otolaryngologist will visually examine your vocal cords, in a procedure called laryngoscopy, by using a lighted scope to look into the back of your throat (fiber-optic laryngoscopy. Then your doctor can watch the motion of your vocal cords as you speak. Slow-motion video of you vocal cords in motion may also be taken, using a different type of telescope called a videostrobe.
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Treatment of Laryngitis
Treatment depends on the cause of the laryngitis. For a bacterial infection, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. If the cause is a virus, the best treatment is to rest your voice as much as possible and avoid clearing your throat. If an inhaled irritant is to blame, avoid the irritant. It may also help to inhale steam from a bowl of hot water or warm shower.
For chronic laryngitis associated with other conditions, such as heartburn, smoking, or alcoholism, managing the underlying condition is necessary for improvement. If you smoke, stop. In addition, if you're a smoker and develop persistent hoarseness, see your doctor to be sure cancer isn't involved. Detected early, cancer of the larynx generally can be successfully treated with surgery or radiation. If alcohol consumption is responsible for your laryngitis, you need to stop drinking.
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Prevention of Laryngitis
To prevent dryness or irritation to your vocal cords:
• Don't smoke, and avoid secondhand smoke. Smoke dries your throat and irritates your vocal cords.
• Drink plenty of water. Fluids help keep the mucus in your throat thin and easy to clear.
• Limit alcohol and caffeine to prevent a dry throat. If you have laryngitis, avoid both substances.
• Avoid clearing your throat. This does more harm than good because it causes an abnormal vibration of your vocal cords and can increase swelling. Clearing your throat also causes your throat to secrete more mucus, making you want to clear your throat again.
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Self-care for Laryngitis
The following self-care steps may relieve the irritation and hoarseness of laryngitis:
• Moisten your throat. Try sucking on lozenges, gargling with salt water or chewing a piece of gum.
• Keep the air's humidity level high throughout your home. Humidify your home to at least 50 percent humidity.
• Use an ultrasonic humidifier in your bedroom at night. Although a vaporizer will help keep your throat and lungs moist, it's better to use an ultrasonic humidifier than a vaporizer. The mist particles produced by an ultrasonic humidifier are smaller and more beneficial to your throat and lungs. Also, vaporizers tend to collect bacteria.
• Try eating soft, easy-to-swallow foods. Examples include applesauce, pudding, soft fruits and yogurt.
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Coping with Laryngitis
To reduce strain or overuse of your voice:
• Avoid talking or singing too loudly or for too long. If you need to speak before large groups, try to use a microphone or megaphone.
• Give your voice a break. Rest your voice when possible.
• Seek voice training. Consider this if you're a singer or if your voice quality is important.
• Avoid whispering. This puts even more strain on your voice than does normal speech.
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