What are facts about laryngitis?

Answer 1

Here's the rundown on laryngitis. Most laryngitis isn't very dangerous if you use common sense and take care of yourself. But a lot of people don't do that!

A good example of the dangerous type of laryngitis is that which results from smoke inhalation during a structure fire. If you are ever exposed to smoke inhalation, get to the hospital ED even if you feel all right, because ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) can develop very suddenly hours after the exposure! One-third of ARDS cases are fatal. [I was present in the ICU when my best friend's father died of ARDS, but his case was caused by pneumonia after surgery for advanced lung cancer. He was a lifelong non-smoker. This just points out how the unexpected sometimes happens.]

Laryngitis from other causes besides being exposed to toxic fumes will rarely ever become life-threatening. And it itself is not contagious, but if the condition is caused by a contagious illness, such as bronchitis, strep throat, or influenza (the flu), those can be transmitted. Sometimes, however, people can develop laryngitis just from overusing the vocal cords. In that case, it cannot be transmitted.

If you have it, you should rest your voice; do not speak if you can help it, but don't whisper because that'll actually irritate your vocal cords more. If you only have laryngitis, you probably don't need bed rest, but if you try to continue your activities and find you actually feel terrible, heed your body and rest!

Stay hydrated. Fluids are definitely important. Don't drink anything that irritates the throat!

If you have the type of laryngitis that comes from another illness, such as influenza (the flu), bronchitis, pneumonia, or strep throat, you should not only be on bed rest but under a physician's care. If you have a bacterial infection you probably need an antibiotic, but viral infections are not treatable that way.

If you have the type of simple laryngitis that comes from overuse of your voice, resting your voice and sucking on cough drops or hard candies or even Sucrets (but read the label first!) will help, plus things like popsicles and ice cream.

But one caveat: if you suddenly find you are having severe difficulty getting your breath in, and have to struggle to get enough air, go to your nearest hospital ED, because, though extremely rare, that condition would be a life-threatening emergency. Very rarely, the laryngeal tissues can swell sufficiently to block the windpipe, or, even more rarely, the epiglottis (located just above the larynx), will become inflamed too and block the breathing passage (windpipe, trachea). If you suffer from Asthma or have a very narrow windpipe, this can complicate things.

I always tell people to use their common sense, and listen to their bodies.