Laryngitis
goodtoknow says: Laryngitis is a viral infection that causes a sore throat. Sometimes your vocal chords become inflamed and you lose your voice completely. It usually clears up on its own within days. Your voice may be croaky for a week or two afterwards while your vocal chords get back to normal. Make sure you drink plenty, even if swallowing is painful, and take painkillers if you need them. Rest your voice as much as possible.
For a full medical explanation of the causes, symptoms and treatments of laryngitis from patient.co.uk, read on.
Laryngitis is usually due to a viral infection. You may become hoarse, but symptoms usually go within a week or so. See a doctor if symptoms persist.
What is laryngitis?
The larynx joins the back of the throat to the trachea (windpipe). The vocal cords are in the larynx. Laryngitis means inflammation of the larynx. It is usually due to a viral infection (viral laryngitis).
What are the symptoms of viral laryngitis?
You may feel sore over the 'Adams apple' and become hoarse shortly afterwards. The voice sometimes 'goes', and you may only be able to whisper. Some people are alarmed at this. However, it is only temporary whilst the vocal cords are inflamed during the infection. You may also have a mild fever, and a cough.
Sometimes laryngitis is part of a more widespread infection. For example, you may also have an infected throat (pharyngitis), tonsillitis, a cold, or a flu-like illness. In these situations, you may also have other symptoms such as a sore throat, headache, feeling tired, swollen neck glands, runny nose, pain on swallowing, and general aches and pains.
A typical viral laryngitis gets worse over 2-3 days. It then eases and goes, usually within a week. However, you may have a croaky voice for a week or so even after the other symptoms have gone. This is because the inflammation of the vocal cords may take a while to settle after the virus has gone.
Breathing difficulty is an uncommon complication. This may occur if there is a lot of inflammation and swelling in the larynx which causes the windpipe to narrow. This is rare in adults, but sometimes happens in young children with smaller, narrower windpipes. See a doctor as soon as possible if you have any difficulty in breathing.
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emma collins, over 2 years
I have had laryngitis now for a week, it seems like it is getting worse, i have flem coming off my throat i am sweating terrible, i am taking ibuprofrn and paracitamol, is there anything else i can do, all i do is sllep.
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