Laryngitis: symptoms

Laryngitis has quite typical symptoms, there are many of them and they depend on the type of inflammatory process in the larynx. It can develop at any age, regardless of gender and nationality. The most common is the "professional" type, which affects people associated with communication professions (teachers, announcers, lecturers), as well as representatives of the arts (singers, actors). Laryngitis, the symptoms of which are clinically manifested, is successfully treated with timely treatment by a doctor. However, cases of chronic inflammation are not uncommon, since its first signs are not perceived as serious.

Laryngitis has the following symptoms:

• Painful sensations in the larynx;
• Sudden hoarseness of voice;
• The voice is weaker, it is difficult to speak due to a sore throat;
• The voice “sits down”, becomes lower in timbre;
• Redness of the mucous membranes;
• Mild swelling of the mucous membrane;
• Difficulty in swallowing, "lump";
• Frequent coughing;
• Dry cough not associated with colds;
• Cough with wet discharge not associated with respiratory diseases;
• Runny nose not associated with respiratory diseases;
• Subfebrile body temperature;
• Loss of voice;
• Pain in the cervical lymph nodes;
• Headache.

The following are signs that pose a threat to health:

• An increase in temperature from 38 to 40 degrees, accompanied by pain in the throat;
• Persistent symptoms of coughing, hoarseness, pain in the larynx (more than two weeks);
• Difficulty eating and swallowing liquids;
• Cough with atypical wet discharge (yellow, greenish clots);
• Difficulty urinating in young children with the above-mentioned signs of laryngitis;
• Coughing discharge containing blood clots;
• Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, feeling of lack of air;
• Inability to breathe normally in a horizontal position;
• Difficulty swallowing saliva;
• Increased salivation (especially in children);
• Atypical breathing noises (wheezing).

Laryngitis symptoms appear quite quickly, the disease progresses rapidly, as a rule, the diagnosis is made two or three days after the first symptoms appear. During the flu or acute respiratory viral infection epidemic, it is diagnosed especially often, the most typical symptoms for it are autumn and winter.

As a rule, even the acute form is treated as quickly as it develops. The maximum duration of successful drug therapy does not exceed ten days. However, a protracted form may indicate more threatening diseases, such as false croup in children or laryngeal oncology in adults.

Laryngitis has symptoms similar to croupous inflammatory processes. The most characteristic signs of false croup in young children are the following:

• Attacks of night coughing lasting up to half an hour;
• Increased sweating;
• Anxiety, restless sleep;
• Cyanosis (blueness of the skin), especially characteristic of false croup is blueness of the lips;
• Wheezing;
• A barking cough.

Laryngitis symptoms depend on the type of inflammatory process. In clinical practice, the following types are encountered:

1. The mildest form, which can be treated quickly, is a catarrhal inflammatory process - catarrhal laryngitis. The symptoms are easily tolerated by the patient, often "on their feet", and sometimes pass on their own (slight hoarseness of the voice, a feeling of irritation).
2. If the symptoms become more pronounced - a strong feeling of irritation in the larynx, hoarseness, turning into coughing (wanting to clear your throat), the cough becomes more intense, we can talk about hypertrophic laryngitis. With this form of inflammation, the ligaments are affected.
3. A type that is typical only for adults is an atrophic inflammatory process. Atrophic laryngitis has the following symptoms: constant dry cough, constant feeling of dryness in the mouth, the mucous membrane of the oral cavity is often damaged by ulcers (due to dryness), the mucous membrane becomes thinner.
4. Laryngitis of tuberculous etiology is a consequence of the main disease - tuberculosis. Clinical symptoms show the formation of nodes on the ligaments, in the tissues of the throat.
5. The most dangerous type is diphtheritic. Diphtheritic laryngitis has the following symptoms: blockage of the larynx by a diphtheritic membrane, rapid development of the inflammatory process, shortness of breath, turning into respiratory arrest. This form of laryngitis is fraught with complete blockage of the respiratory tract.
6. Laryngitis of syphilitic etiology. Inflammation is a consequence of the underlying pathological process. As a rule, the syphilitic form is the second or third stage of the disease, when an erosive process develops in the mucous membrane, the tissue begins to scar. As a result of the formation of connective scar tissue, the throat is deformed, the vocal cords are damaged.
7. Associated with constant tension and damage to the ligaments - professional inflammation. Characteristic knots on the ligaments are typical for singers, artists, teachers.

Laryngitis, the symptoms of which depend on the type of inflammation, can occur in an acute form, and in the form of diffuse inflammation (the mucous membrane is affected). It can also manifest itself only as inflammation of the ligaments or inflammation of the mucous membrane of the epiglottis. The most alarming form is laryngitis, the symptoms of which, even with drug treatment, do not go away within a month. In such cases, the patient needs hospitalization for a more thorough, comprehensive examination in order to exclude serious pathologies.

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