Laryngitis Health Video

While we may wish some people wouldn't talk, we probably don't wish they had laryngitis. Laryngitis is an inflammation of your voice box (larynx) due to overuse, irritation or infection. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for laryngitis in this health video.

Take Action

Drink plenty of fluids
Rest your voice
Take a throat lozenge
Breathe moist air
See a doctor if your voice is hoarse for 2 weeks

About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

SUSAN MCGLADERRY, BM, BCH, MRCP: Hello. My name is Dr. Susan McGladerry. I'm the medical director from the FirstMed Centers in Budapest Hungary and I would like to give you some information about laryngitis. This is a condition where there is an inflammation of the voice box or larynx due to things like overuse, irritation, or infection. In laryngitis, the vocal cords, which are located in the larynx become inflamed or irritated. This causes distortion of the sounds produced by air passing over them and the result is hoarseness or even no voice. Laryngitis may be a short-lived or acute problem or it may be a longer lasting chronic problem. The signs and the symptoms include a hoarse or lost voice, a sore throat, dry cough. There may be difficulty in breathing, and in children, this can be a condition that we called pseudocroup or subglottic laryngitis. Acute laryngitis is due to viral infection mostly and rarely to bacterial infection. It can also be due to vocal straining caused by shouting or overusing the voice. Chronic laryngitis on the other hand is more commonly due to inhaled irritants such as chemicals, allergens, smoke or to acid reflux, also problems like chronic sinusitis, excessive alcohol use, or for professional singers, for example, who use their voices a lot. Sometimes persistent hoarseness can be due to a more serious underlying medical condition such as cancer although this is relatively rare. Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Most cases of acute laryngitis will respond to things like fluids, resting the voice and taking a simple throat lozenge. Breathing moist air is also helpful and you can do that by inhaling stem from a bowl of hot water or you can just take a longer hot shower. Underlying causes of laryngitis should be treated such as heartburn, smoking, alcohol problems and in addition your doctor may choose to prescribe you antibiotics, corticosteroids, or antireflux medication. When should you see your doctor if you have a laryngitis problem? It's important to see your doctor if you have hoarseness that last more than about 2 weeks. Also, you need to see a doctor urgently if your child appears to have severe symptoms caused by croup. These would be things like noisy, high-pitched breathing, excessive drooling and difficulty swallowing; this would be a medical emergency.