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February 9, 2012

Laryngitis

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Reflux Laryngitis

Reflux is caused by weakness in the muscle at the junction of the esophagus with the stomach. Normally, this muscular valve, or sphincter, functions to keep food and stomach acid from moving upward from the stomach to the esophagus and larynx. This valve opens to allow food into the stomach and closes to keep the stomach's contents from coming back up. The backward movement of stomach contents (gastric contents) up into the esophagus is referred to as gastroesophageal reflux.

Stomach acid can cause irritation of the lining of the esophagus, larynx, and throat. This can lead to:

  • erosion of the lining of the esophagus (erosive esophagitis),
  • narrowing of the esophagus (stricture),
  • chronic hoarseness,
  • chronic throat clearing,
  • difficulty swallowing,
  • foreign body sensation in the throat,
  • asthma or cough,
  • spasms of the vocal cords,
  • sinusitis, and
  • growths on the vocal cords (granulomas).

Learn more about reflux laryngitis »

Top Searched Laryngitis Terms:
treatment, symptoms, home remedies, contagious, cure, chronic

Laryngitis facts

  • Laryngitis is an inflammation of the voice box.

  • Causes of laryngitis include upper respiratory infection or cold; excess talking, singing, or shouting; reflux laryngitis; chronic irritation of the vocal cords; or stroke.

  • Laryngitis is contagious if it is caused by an infection.

  • The most common symptoms of laryngitis are hoarseness, loss of voice, and throat pain.

  • Symptoms of laryngitis in adults include dry cough, sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes, pain with swallowing, and a feeling of fullness in the throat or neck.

  • Symptoms of laryngitis in infants in children include croup, hoarse barky cough, and fever.

  • Chronic laryngitis, in which the symptoms last for weeks, may be caused by by gastroesophageal reflux disease, smoking, or alcohol use.

  • Chronic inflammation due to laryngitis may cause nodules or polyps to form on the vocal cords.

  • Treatment of laryngitis is usually symptomatic, home remedies, and resting the voice.

  • If symptoms of laryngitis persist for more than a couple of weeks, further testing may be recommended.

  • Complications of laryngitis include pneumonia, GERD, chronic bronchitis, or vocal chord paralysis.

What is laryngitis?

The larynx is the voice box that allows us to speak, shout, whisper, and sing. The larynx consists of a cartilage skeleton that houses the vocal cords that are covered by a mucus lining. Muscles inside the larynx adjust the position, shape, and tension of the vocal cords, allowing us to make different sounds from whispering to to singing. Any change in the air flow (which is generated by the lungs exhaling air) across the vocal cords will affect the voice and the quality of the sound.

The larynx is located at the junction of the mouth and trachea and has a flap-like covering called the epiglottis, whose job it is to prevent food and saliva from entering the larynx during swallowing.

Laryngitis (larynx + itis = inflammation) is an inflammation of the voice box, causing a person to lose their voice. The quality of the voice becomes hoarse or gravelly-sounding or even too quiet or soft to hear.

Picture of the larynx and trachea

Picture of the larynx and trachea



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  • Related Diseases & Conditions

    • Pneumonia
      • Pneumonia is inflammation of one or both lungs with consolidation. Pneumonia is frequently but not always due to infection. The infection may be bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic. Symptoms may include fever, chills, cough with sputum production, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
    • Sore Throat (Pharyngitis)
      • Most sore throats are caused by viruses or mechanical causes (such as mouth breathing) and can be treated successfully at home. However, a person should be seen by a health care professional if they have a sore throat that has a rapid onset, and is associated with a fever or tenderness of the front of the neck; a sore throat that causes the person to have difficulty swallowing (not just pain swallowing) or breathing; or if a sore throat lasts for more than a week.
    • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
      • GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is a condition in which the acidified liquid contents of the stomach backs up into the esophagus. The symptoms of uncomplicated GERD are heartburn, regurgitation, and nausea. Effective treatment is available for most patients with GERD.
    • Swollen Lymph Nodes
      • Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
    • Stroke
      • A stroke results from impaired oxygen delivery to brain cells via the bloodstream. A stroke is also referred to as a CVA, or cerebrovascular incident. Symptoms of stroke include: sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance, and/or sudden severe headache with no known cause. A TIA, or transient ischemic attack is a short-lived temporary impairment of the brain caused by loss of blood supply. Stroke is a medical emergency.
    • Upper Respiratory Infection
      • An upper respiratory infection is a contagious infection of the structures of the upper respiratory tract, which includes the sinuses, nasal passages, pharynx, and larynx. Common causes of an upper respiratory infection include bacteria and viruses such as rhinoviruses, group A streptococci, influenza, respiratory syncytial, whooping cough, diphtheria, and Epstein-Barre. Examples of symptoms of upper respiratory infection include sneezing, sore throat, cough, fever, and nasal congestion. Treatment of upper respiratory infection are generally with OTC medication and home remedies.
    • Chronic Cough
      • Chronic cough is a cough that does not go away and is generally a symptom of another disorder such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, sinus infection, cigarette smoking, GERD, postnasal drip, bronchitis, pneumonia, medications, and less frequently tumors or other lung disease. Treatment of chronic cough is dependant upon the cause.
    • Fever
      • Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
    • Common Cold
      • The common cold (viral upper respiratory tract infection) is a contagious illness that may be caused by various viruses. Symptoms include a stuffy nose, headache, cough, sore throat, and maybe a fever. Antibiotics have no effect upon the common cold, and there is no evidence that zinc and vitamin C are effective treatments.
    • Croup
      • Croup is a contagious viral infection that affects children's respiratory system. Symptoms include a barking cough, stridor, fever and difficulty breathing.
    • Dysphagia
      • Dysphagia or difficulty in swallowing, swallowing problems. Dysphagia is due to problems in nerve or muscle control. It is common, for example, after a stroke. Dysphagia compromises nutrition and hydration and may lead to aspiration pneumonia and dehydration.
    • Smoking (How to Quit Smoking)
      • Smoking is an addiction. More than 430,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. from smoking related illnesses. Secondhand smoke or "passive smoke" also harm family members, coworkers, and others around smokers. There are a number of techniques available to assist people who want to quit smoking.
    • Hoarseness
      • Hoarseness (abnormal deep, harsh, raspy voice) is caused by a variety of conditions in which the larynx (voice box and vocal chords) are irritated or injured. Examples of causes of hoarseness include: laryngitis, straining the vocal cords by yelling or screaming, infections, GERD, allergies, and more. Treatment of hoarseness depends on the cause.
    • Reflux Laryngitis
      • Acid backing up into the larynx (voice box), it causes reflux laryngitis. Irritation of the lining of the esophagus, larynx, and throat can lead to esophagitis, sinusitis, strictures, hoarseness, throat clearing, swallowing problems, asthma, chronic cough, and more. Typical symptoms of reflux laryngitis include heartburn, hoarseness, or a sensation of a foreign body in the throat. Reflux laryngitis can be treated with OTC medication, prescription medication, and lifestyle changes.
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