Laryngitis: Meaning, Diagnosis and Overview

What is Laryngitis?

Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Inside the larynx there are vocal cords which open and close smoothly, forming sounds through their movement and vibration.
But in laryngitis, the vocal cords become inflamed or irritated. This swelling causes distortion of the sounds produced by air passing over them. It causes hoarse voice or temporary complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal cords. Occurs mostly in middle age and is much more common in men than women.          
It is of two types:

• Acute laryngitis (lasts less than three weeks)
• Chronic laryngitis (lasts over three weeks)

Recovery Time

Laryngitis usually improves in few days (about 2 weeks) in most of the people.

Diagnosis

Doctor will feel your neck for sensitive areas or lumps and look at your nose, mouth, and throat for inflammation. Other tests may include:

• Laryngoscopy
• Video laryngostroboscopy
• Surgical procedure and/or speech therapy

FAQs prepared by doctor

1. What is laryngitis?
Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx (voice box).

2. What is larynx?
Larynx is found at the front of your neck at the level of ones Adams apple. It is an air passage that extends from your tongue to your wind pipe (trachea) and produces the sounds when spoken, with the help of vocal cords through their movement and vibration. It also stops food entering your wind pipe and allows you to breathe.

3. How does laryngitis happen?
In laryngitis, the vocal cords become inflamed or irritated. This swelling causes distortion of the sounds produced by air passing over them. It causes hoarse voice or temporary complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal cords. Occurs mostly in middle age and is much more common in men than women. It is of two types:
Acute laryngitis (lasts less than three weeks)
Chronic laryngitis (lasts over three weeks)

4. When shall one consult a doctor?
When there is Hoarseness lasting more than two weeks, then one shall consult a doctor, indicate a voice disorder. When there is pain or trouble in breathing swallowing or blood gets coughed out or upper respiratory infection with a fever that lasts more than a couple days then one shall visit doctor for preventing the symptoms going in worse way.

5. Why shall one avoid heavy meals close to bed time in laryngitis?
One shall avoid heavy meals during bed time as when one lies down there is not a lot of back pressure to push stomach contents up the esophagus and into the throat. Thus stomach has returned to baseline acidity before sleep. Hence it avoids laryngitis due to acid reflux  

6. Why are spicy foods, caffeinated drinks avoided during laryngitis?
These substances may increase stomach acidity and/or may make the Lower esophageal sphincter function poorly and worsen the laryngitis condition.