What to do for laryngitis?

Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx and vocal folds - laryngitis - occurs for several reasons: as a consequence of acute respiratory viral infection, as a "payback" for constant strain on the vocal cords or for individual anatomical features of the vocal apparatus. This disease can also accompany some infectious diseases, such as whooping cough or measles. Laryngitis often occurs in smokers and in people with constant pathogenic microflora in the respiratory tract. In any case, the patient faces the question: what to do with laryngitis?

What to do if you lose your voice due to laryngitis?

A pronounced symptom of laryngitis is a hoarse voice, up to its complete loss. In addition, the throat is sore and ticklish, and, as a result, a dry cough appears. All this indicates that the mucous membrane of the larynx is inflamed, and the vocal folds (cords) do not ensure normal closure and opening of the glottis.

What to do if you lose your voice during laryngitis? First of all, you need to keep quiet for a few days, and if you need to say something, do it in a quiet voice, not a whisper, because whispering strains the vocal cords more than loud speech. You also need to avoid food that irritates the throat and larynx - spicy, rough and cold; do not smoke or drink alcohol. But warm drinks, especially moderately hot milk with honey, a warming compress or a warm scarf on the neck and systematic gargling are very useful.

Gargling with infusions and decoctions of chamomile, sage, calamus rhizome, stinging nettle (a tablespoon of dry grass per glass of boiling water) helps relieve the condition. At normal temperatures, hot foot or forearms (from the elbow bend) baths are very helpful. Lubricating the mucous membrane of the larynx with Lugol's solution with glycerin, propolis, and sea buckthorn oil is practiced. To thin phlegm and make it easier to cough it up, it is recommended to take cough mixtures or tablets. And also infusions of medicinal herbs: coltsfoot, elecampane, marshmallow roots, and licorice.

But the most effective method of treating laryngitis is inhalation. What kind of inhalation should be done for laryngitis? These should be steam alkaline and herbal inhalations, which are successfully carried out at home. And also warm-moist inhalations, which are carried out with the help of compressor and ultrasonic inhalers (nebulizers), spraying a medicinal solution on the mucous membrane of the larynx. Together with inhaled vapors or aerosol compositions, finely dispersed particles of active substances of inhalation solutions get into the larynx and have a local therapeutic effect - antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory.

What to do for inhalation for laryngitis?

The "pot method" of steam inhalation at home has been replaced by an improved method - using a regular teapot. For example, alkaline inhalation is done like this. A glass of very hot water (almost boiling water) is poured into a faience teapot, a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is added, stirred and the lid is closed.

While the solution cools down a little (to avoid burning the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, the temperature of the steam during inhalation should not exceed +45ºС), a cone-funnel is made from thick paper or thin cardboard. The funnel is made so that its upper wide edge covers the chin and mouth, and the nose is free. The hole in the narrow part of the funnel is adjusted so that the funnel can be put on the spout of the teapot. Now you need to combine the teapot and the funnel and begin the procedure - slowly inhaling the steam through your mouth and exhaling through your nose. The duration of one inhalation is 10 minutes, they should be done up to five times a day for at least three to five days.

What to do for inhalation with laryngitis, except soda? For alkaline inhalations, it is recommended to use such medicinal mineral waters as "Borjomi" and "Essentuki" instead of soda. They can be easily replaced with Ukrainian alkaline mineral waters "Polyana Kupel" and "Polyana Kvasova", which are close in composition to the Caucasian ones.

It is useful to alternate alkaline inhalations with herbal ones, to which essential oils are added. Among the medicinal plants for laryngitis, eucalyptus leaves, chamomile flowers, sage, black elderberry, calendula, pine buds are recommended (pour 2 tablespoons of dry mixture with a glass of boiling water and leave for 15 minutes). And among the essential oils that are especially effective for laryngitis, it is worth noting eucalyptus, pine, fir, anise, rosemary, sea buckthorn, juniper oil, rose hips and peppermint. Based on 200 ml of inhalation solution, 10-15 drops of one of these oils are added.

The combination drug Kameton in the form of an aerosol (which includes chlorobutanol hydrate, camphor, L-menthol and eucalyptus oil) is also often used when patients ask what to do with laryngitis. This aerosol has a local anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and moderate distracting effect and is prescribed for inflammatory diseases of the ENT organs - rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, etc. The use of Kameton in children under 5 years of age is contraindicated. The drug should be sprayed into the oral cavity for two seconds no more than four times a day.

As for the use of aerosol preparations containing antibiotics or sulfonamides in the treatment of laryngitis, they are not prescribed for viral origin of the disease, since they do not act on viruses. But if the cough is accompanied by purulent sputum, there are purulent-fibrous crusts in the larynx and there are signs of its stenosis, and the temperature is elevated, then antibiotics must be used to combat an infection of a clearly bacterial nature.

What to do if a child has laryngitis?

The first thing to do when a child has laryngitis is to see a doctor. Because only a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis (diffuse laryngitis, acute subglottic laryngitis, croup or epiglottitis) and prescribe appropriate treatment. Laryngitis in childhood has a viral etiology and easily turns into false croup (acute stenosing laryngotracheitis), which can lead to acute respiratory failure.

In case of diffuse laryngitis, the therapeutic methods are the same as in case of ARI and ARVI, and these are anti-inflammatory drugs and steam inhalations with eucalyptus or pine oils. How to do them was described above, but when carrying out this therapeutic procedure for children under 6-7 years old, special care must be taken. To prevent too hot steam from causing a burn of the mucous membrane of the throat and larynx, the temperature of the inhalation solution must not exceed +38˚C.

In acute subglottic laryngitis in small children, hoarseness of voice and attacks of shortness of breath at night are often observed. And also - general pallor, and a bright blush on the cheeks. In such a situation, mandatory hospitalization is indicated!

Today, acute laryngotracheobronchitis or croup, according to pediatricians, is very rare and is usually a complication of subglottic laryngitis. This pathology also requires immediate hospitalization!

Children under seven years of age may be diagnosed with epiglottitis, a type of laryngitis caused by the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae, pneumococci or Staphylococcus aureus. The disease manifests itself in the form of symptoms such as severe pain in the throat, a "planted" voice, high temperature and hypersalivation (increased salivation). Then shortness of breath appears, which threatens suffocation. Urgent hospitalization is needed!

What to do during an attack of laryngitis?

An attack of laryngitis is a sign of an acute inflammatory process in the larynx and the resulting severe swelling of its mucous membranes. Hoarseness, dry throat and painful sensations when swallowing are accompanied by attacks of barking cough, shortness of breath and general weakness. A rise in temperature (up to +38˚C) is possible.

In such cases, doctors recommend that adult patients drink plenty of warm fluids, gargle with decoctions and infusions of medicinal plants. It is also necessary to do inhalations and humidify the air in the room. What to do during an attack of laryngitis, which is accompanied by a significant increase in shortness of breath? Call an ambulance, which will conduct emergency therapy using corticosteroids (dexamethasone), antihistamines (suprastin) and decongestants (euphyllin).

Dexamethasone is a glucocorticosteroid, an adrenal cortex hormone with strong antiallergic and anti-inflammatory properties - it acts instantly in many acute situations, including shock, vascular collapse, cerebral edema, aspiration pneumonia and laryngeal edema. It is available in 0.5 mg tablets and 1 ml ampoules. In severe cases, up to 10-15 mg of the drug per day is used, the maintenance daily dose is 2-4.5 mg. Contraindicated in acute viral, bacterial or systemic fungal infections, hypersensitivity to the drug; use during pregnancy - only for vital indications.

Method of administration of euphyllin: intramuscular and intravenous injections and microclimas (solution in ampoules), as well as orally (0.15 g tablets). Orally, adults take 0.15 g 1-3 times a day (after meals). The maximum single dose of euphyllin for adults (orally or intramuscularly) is 0.5 g.

In severe cases, Suprastin (0.025 g tablets and 2% solution in 1 ml ampoules) is used in the form of intramuscular and intravenous injections - 1-2 ml of 2% solution. Adults take the drug orally one tablet 2-3 times a day (during meals). The dosage for children is prescribed depending on age - a quarter, a third or half a tablet 2-3 times a day. Side effects of this drug include drowsiness and general weakness. And contraindications include glaucoma and prostatic hypertrophy.

What to do if your child has an attack of laryngitis?

The course of laryngitis in children under five (due to the anatomical features of the respiratory tract during this period of development) is accompanied by intense swelling of the mucous membrane of the larynx and the area located directly under the vocal folds. And laryngitis in infants is a serious danger, since the swollen mucous membrane of the larynx can lead to spasm of the smooth muscles and respiratory failure.

What to do during an attack of laryngitis in a child, that is, acute stenosing laryngotracheitis or false croup.

If a child coughs when inhaling and his lips and nasolabial triangle become blue, parents should very quickly:

• call an ambulance;
• ventilate the room well and humidify the air (turn on an electric humidifier, spray with a spray bottle, place wide containers of water in the room, hang a wet sheet on a heating radiator);
• do an inhalation with soda, and if the child is very small, fill the bathtub with hot water (so that it steams) and stay there with the baby;
• dissolve a third of a suprastin tablet in water and give it to the child to drink;
• put a mustard plaster on the chest;
• Take a hot (39˚C) foot bath for several minutes.

As both ENT doctors and therapists note, with proper treatment of laryngitis, the disease recedes in 7-10 days. If you do not know what to do with laryngitis, contact a specialist, because any untreated inflammation can become chronic and threatens serious complications.