What is laryngitis, how is it treated? Symptoms and treatment of laryngitis at home

Laryngitis is a lesion of the larynx that is caused by abnormalities in the mucous membrane due to infection or bacteria. If the disease does not begin to be treated on time, then it will quickly turn into a chronic form. The development of laryngitis is promoted by hypothermia, mouth breathing while on the street, heavily polluted air, tension of the larynx and, of course, bad habits. What is laryngitis and how is it treated? This should be examined in more detail, especially since this disease may not be as harmless as it seems at first glance.

Etiology of laryngitis

Laryngitis is a disease of the upper respiratory tract in which the mucous membrane of the larynx is primarily affected. Adults will be able to notice that with illness their voice can change significantly, sometimes it completely disappears. Naturally, this disease has many other symptoms that are simply impossible to ignore. Most often, laryngitis does not occur on its own, but is a complication after various respiratory diseases suffered before.

According to ICD-10, laryngitis is assigned the code J04, the disease is included in the fifth group (respiratory diseases). If a sick person is not treated correctly, then he may suffer from unpleasant symptoms for a long time.

Types of Laryngitis

Basically, doctors distinguish two forms of the disease: acute and chronic. Consider each of them individually:

1. Acute laryngitis can hardly develop as an independent disease. Often it is a consequence of the flu or SARS, in which not only the inflammatory process appears, but also the mucous membrane of the nose and larynx swells, sometimes the respiratory tract also suffers. This type of laryngitis occurs when there is a lot of tension in the vocal cords, for example, when screaming, singing or making long speeches.
2. Chronic laryngitis can begin to develop after its acute form has not been completely cured. It also happens that the disease develops precisely in smokers, since tobacco smoke has a bad effect on the epithelial layer, which leads to its depletion. The voice with laryngitis of this form becomes coarse and hoarse, and a complete recovery cannot be achieved.

In addition to the above forms, specialists distinguish several more:

• Catarrhal laryngitis is accompanied by a sore throat, there is a feeling that something is raw inside the larynx. Unpleasant sensations are accompanied by a constant cough. In this case, forecasts for recovery will be most favorable.
• The atrophic variety of the disease is characterized by the fact that the mucous membrane is reduced in size, therefore, due to its damage during coughing, small streaks of blood can be released.

• It also happens that laryngitis occurs against the background of an allergy in a patient.
• Hypertrophic laryngitis is characterized by a strong thickening of the laryngeal mucosa, such changes interfere with the closure of ligaments, and a person may completely lose the ability to speak.
• A dangerous form is diphtheria. In this case, the infection begins to spread to the larynx with tonsils. The entire mucous membrane can become covered with a membrane, which will subsequently lead to obstruction of the airways at the level of the ligaments.

What type of laryngitis develops in a particular patient, the doctor can determine, but only after he prescribes all the necessary tests.

Reasons for the development of laryngitis

What is laryngitis and how is it treated? This is a question that many people are interested in, since the disease itself is not uncommon. Before treatment is prescribed, it is worth paying attention to the causes that can provoke the disease. The fact is that eliminating the cause can help not only cure the disease, but never again face it in the future.

The most common cases are when laryngitis begins to develop after severe hypothermia. Local protection systems fail, the cellular structures of the mucous membrane are damaged, the inflammatory process is provoked. Further, the infection also begins to develop. It can also spread with sinusitis.

Another annoying factor comes in second - it is air polluted by dust, which is inhaled with it.

Laryngitis affects people who often have to strain their vocal cords for some reason.

The disease may be a consequence of surgery on the mucous membrane of the larynx.

It is impossible to exclude various bad habits, which also adversely affect the body.

How long laryngitis lasts is difficult to answer, since much depends on the severity of the disease and the correct treatment. However, the fact that to prevent the appearance of an ailment under the strength of each person is an incontrovertible fact.

Symptoms of the disease

Recognizing the symptoms of laryngitis in adults is much easier than in young children. It is enough just to pay attention to such symptoms in order to diagnose the disease yourself:

• First of all, a cough may appear. It is characteristic of this disease if it is dry and not pressing.
• The throat with laryngitis strongly swells, it is due to this that the voice becomes hoarse, and sometimes it can completely disappear.
• The throat will not hurt much, but it will tickle, so there is a need to clear it with a cough.
• Sometimes acute pain occurs only when swallowed, which gives a lot of unpleasant sensations.

• When taking a blood test, the doctor can diagnose an increased number of white blood cells, which will primarily indicate an inflammatory process.
• Often, the temperature rises with laryngitis to high levels.

If laryngitis proceeds in an acute form, then it will be possible to completely recover only after three weeks, but when the disease does not go away within two months, then it will be more correct to talk about its chronic course.

Improper treatment complications

If the disease is not treated, complications may occur; the disease will gradually turn into chronic bronchitis or tonsillitis. The acute phase of the disease can trigger the development of laryngeal edema and the appearance of croup. In this state, a person may suffocate. It is important to provide first aid as soon as possible, otherwise there is a risk of death.

According to ICD-10, laryngitis has a code of J 05.0. In this case, the diagnosis of acute obstructive laryngitis is made, otherwise the disease can be called croup. It is often registered in young children, which means that emergency medical care must be provided. When treatment does not start in a timely manner, there are risks that a benign tumor will form in the larynx, which can then turn into a malignant one.

Diagnostics

Only an experienced doctor can accurately determine the symptoms and prescribe the correct treatment, so therapy in complex cases must necessarily be supervised by a specialist. In the process of diagnosis, the doctor must collect an anamnesis, carry out a physical examination and present a complete picture of the disease. If the doctor suspects more complex forms of the disease, and the symptoms of laryngitis in adults or children differ from the generally accepted ones, then he may prescribe additional types of studies, such as:

1. Laryngoscopy
2. Blood analysis.
3. Fluorography.
4. Examination of smears from the larynx.

It is necessary to consult an otolaryngologist in cases where the symptoms of the disease do not go away within two weeks, often there is severe pain in the larynx, which can even pass into the ear, and the blood is sprinkled.

Laryngitis treatment

Symptoms of laryngitis in adults are most pronounced, therefore, in some cases, the disease can be determined independently. The patient will need a gentle regime, so peace and the creation of conditions for recovery will be required. First of all, it is necessary to remove all factors that can enhance inflammation in the larynx. If at the initial stages it is not possible to get rid of the disease, and the general condition only worsens, then you can not do without medical assistance. As a rule, given the severity of the disease, the doctor prescribes therapy according to this scheme:

• First of all, it will be necessary to reduce the load on the larynx and vocal cords. Doctors in this case recommend less talk.
• In some cases, it will be useful to follow a diet and not eat foods that can irritate the mucous membrane.
• If there are such bad habits as smoking and drinking alcohol, then they will have to be abandoned.

• The patient needs not only peace. It should be provided with warm drink, decoctions of herbs and natural juices.

If you are diagnosed with laryngitis, clinical advice should not be ignored. It is wrong to treat only with home methods, so it is important to pay attention to the following points:

1. Often prescribed medications in the form of aerosols, such as Camphomen, Ingalipt. You can dissolve special pills.
2. Given that the cough is dry, expectoration should be provided with drugs such as Mucoltin or Herbion.
3. “Cofex” and “Sinecode” will help ease the cough.
4. If laryngitis arose as a result of an allergy, then it is necessary to take anti-allergic drugs - “Loratadin”, “Suprastin”.
5. Specialists prescribe antibacterial antibiotics in especially serious cases. It can be "Bioparox", "Ampicillin", "Oxacillin."
6. Additionally, to strengthen the body, formulations based on radiol, aralia and pantocrine can be prescribed.

Other physiotherapeutic methods can bring good results, for example, such as:

1. Electrophoresis with novocaine.
2. UHF
3. Therapy with microwaves.
4. Ural Federal District.

What is laryngitis and how it is treated is not difficult to understand, but in severe and moderate forms, the patient needs medical attention, otherwise there is a risk of serious complications that can lead to death. Experts advise using lugol to lubricate the throat. It is this tool that helps to reduce the impact of pathogenic flora. It is dangerous when laryngitis becomes chronic, it is almost impossible to get rid of it. With this course of the disease, the voice function is disrupted, and the patient's voice changes completely. People who suffer from a constant exacerbation of chronic laryngitis are at risk for laryngeal cancer. In this case, it is necessary to achieve stable remission with the help of drugs, take vitamins, do alkaline and antibiotic inhalations, and apply traditional medicine methods.

Inhalation with laryngitis

Experts say that inhalation is considered an effective way to combat laryngitis. Often, an ultrasonic inhaler is used for such events, which helps the patient to breathe correctly with the infusion of healing herbs. For example, chamomile, which has an antibacterial effect, is actively used for such cases. There are special medications for inhalation, which without any problems can be purchased at the pharmacy. This allows you to carry out therapy at home, for example, use steam inhalation with different herbs or even make alkaline inhalation. Doctors may prescribe special medications and antihistamines. To achieve full recovery, sometimes it is required to do the procedure at least 3-7 times a day. Often, patients use a nebulizer with laryngitis. The nebulizer can be filled with mineral water and medicines prescribed by your doctor. But it is not recommended to do steam inhalation in such cases:

1. If a sick person has a significant increase in body temperature.
2. If purulent discharge was detected in the nasopharynx.
3. Do not put medication into the inhaler that the patient may not tolerate.
4. Uncontrolled use of an inhaler by people with bronchial asthma and other respiratory disorders is not allowed.
5. If there is a tendency to constant nosebleeds.

It is necessary to follow all the recommendations and use drugs for inhalation very carefully so as not to aggravate the general condition of the patient.

Home treatment and diet

Before starting treatment at home, you should first consult with your doctor. There are certain tips that you must adhere to:

1. As soon as laryngitis begins to develop, the patient should drink more warm tea, while it is important to pay attention to the fact that the drink was decaffeinated, since it is this substance that causes dehydration.
2. Rinsing with laryngitis is only welcome. According to reviews, there is nothing better than calamus. You should take two teaspoons of this plant, pour boiling water, insist for five hours and use to gargle.
3. An excellent option for gargling is onion peel. It is enough to pour three teaspoons of husk with half a liter of water, boil and insist for six hours, and then rinse the larynx with such a decoction.
4. Treatment of laryngitis in adults at home can be carried out using a decoction of blueberries and apple cider vinegar.
5. Many patients like to do with laryngitis mogul-mogul. The yolk is whipped with a spoonful of sugar, a tablespoon of melted butter is added there and everything is thoroughly mixed. If you use this tool for five days, you can restore the voice.
6. An excellent tool in the fight against laryngitis is considered to be vegetable oil mixed with chicken egg protein. Drink the resulting remedy in small sips throughout the day.
7. Various herbs can be used to increase immunity, for example, nutritious teas from linden and mint will be an excellent remedy. They can be drunk in unlimited quantities.
8. Treatment of laryngitis in adults at home can be done with carrots boiled in milk. This broth can not only be drunk, but also used to gargle.
9. An excellent folk method in the fight against sore throat is tea with grated ginger and honey. For half a liter of boiling water, you need to take 5 teaspoons of ginger, honey is used in bite.

Alternative methods can be a great way to recovery, but only if recommended by a doctor. Drug treatment cannot be completely ruled out, as this is likely to lead to a deterioration in well-being and serious complications. Also, people who often suffer from chronic laryngitis should adhere to a special diet and monitor their health. In case of illness, you should never abuse sodas or alcoholic beverages, smoke, eat spicy foods, seeds and nuts, and it is also not recommended to use garlic and mustard. Diet should include liquid and not too hot food.

Prevention

What is laryngitis and how it is treated is understandable, but there are preventive measures that will help to avoid this disease. Let's consider them in more detail:

1. Using any medicine, you should carefully read the annotation. This will help not to use drugs that lead to drying out of the mucous membrane.
2. If a catarrhal disease occurs, then it should be cured as soon as possible and prevent the development of laryngitis.
3. When a person is sick with SARS, you should immediately observe the home regimen, drink warm drink, and if you have problems with your voice, try to speak quietly so as not to strain your vocal cords once again.
4. The room should be wet-cleaned.

People who play sports and become less likely to experience this disease.

The article presented the symptoms of laryngitis. Treatment at home can be carried out only after consultation with a specialist. The disease requires immediate treatment so that exacerbation can be prevented in advance. It is advisable that it be held under the supervision of a doctor, otherwise it will not work to achieve full recovery.