Acute laryngitis is a serious pathology, manifested in inflammation of the mucous membranes of the larynx. It is usually associated with infectious or colds. Laryngitis not only causes unpleasant symptoms, but also entails a lot of consequences if left untreated.
What causes it to appear, how does it manifest, and what drugs can cope with it? This and much more will now be discussed.
Causes
Acute laryngitis appears due to damage to the mucous membrane of the upper trachea and the mucous membrane of the larynx. This leads to the fact that severe inflammation begins to develop, followed by the appearance of a typical clinic of the disease.
Provoking factors include:
- Excessive hypothermia or overheating.
- Overexertion of the voice (among teachers, artists, singers).
- Colonization of the mucous membrane by microorganisms of pathogenic origin (measles, flu, whooping cough, etc.).
- Inhalation of dusty air.
- The effect of irritating substances on the mucous membrane and nasopharynx.
- Smoking.
- A burn or mechanical injury to the larynx.
- Alcohol abuse.
- Reverse flow of hollow organs (gastroesophageal reflux).
- Age-related changes in the larynx.
- Violation of nasal breathing, the cause of which usually becomes an increase in adenoids, a curved septum and the growth of polyps.
These factors provoke the occurrence of acute laryngitis in adults. The disease of this form is characterized by a rapid course - it lasts from 7 to 14 days. With proper treatment, the symptoms gradually subside, and then remission occurs.
If a person ignores the manifestations of the disease, then from an acute form it becomes chronic. And it becomes harder to cure.
Catarrhal laryngitis
The disease in question can be of two types. And the first is catarrhal acute laryngitis. The main symptom of this disease is acute inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx, which occurs due to infection with a banal microbiota.
As a rule, the disease develops as a result of acute respiratory infections. Most often, a catarrhal disease occurs in men. Especially among those who abuse nicotine and alcohol.
This is a seasonal ailment. As a rule, the peak incidence occurs in autumn and spring. High humidity and cold are ideal conditions for the development of the disease.
Signs of acute catarrhal laryngitis include:
- Dryness, perspiration, burning in the larynx.
- Tearing, painful pain at the time of coughing.
- Sputum (appears 1-2 days after the first symptoms).
- Increase in body temperature to 38 ° C.
- Hoarseness, which can lead to aphonia - loss of sonority. In such cases, it remains possible to speak in a whisper.
- Dry cough.
- Discomfort and stress experienced during the conversation.
- The defeat of the vocal muscles.
- Secondary myositis of the larynx.
- Arthritis of the cricoid joints.
- Erosion (destruction) of the mucous membrane in the area of the vocal folds.
Within 5-6 days, a pronounced manifestation of the listed symptoms is observed, which are added in complexity one at a time. Then the signs of catarrhal acute laryngitis gradually decrease. With treatment, recovery occurs in 12-15 days.
Phlegmonous laryngitis
This is the second type of disease. The causes of acute phlegmonous laryngitis are usually a person’s infection with staphylococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, streptococci, protea, pneumococci, Klebsiella, spore-forming bacteria, etc.
It is important to note that microbes can enter the epithelial cell only due to a violation of its integrity. And “protection”, as a rule, weakens due to trauma, damage to a chemical or mechanical nature, exposure to allergens.
The local and general symptoms of acute phlegmonous laryngitis include:
- Swelling and redness of the affected tissue (throat).
- Fever.
- Pain when swallowing.
- Violation of the voice function and the passage of air through the larynx.
- Intoxication.
- Lethargy and malaise.
- Increased heart rate.
- Respiratory failure.
- Reactive enlargement of the lymph nodes.
- Cough with purulent sputum.
It should be noted that in children phlegmonous laryngitis occurs extremely rarely. And if the disease appears, then suddenly, but it is difficult.
It develops, usually due to complications after diphtheria and measles. Of the specific symptoms can be noted increased to 40 ° C temperature, intoxication, labored and noisy breathing, giving pain in the back of the head and ears when swallowing.
If in adults the treatment of acute phlegmonous laryngitis is possible at home, then in the case of children, hospitalization and constant medical supervision are necessary. In severe cases, resuscitation is required.
Diagnostics
Before proceeding to consider the features related to the treatment of acute laryngitis, it is necessary to briefly talk about the diagnosis.
Having noticed alarming symptoms, a person should consult an otolaryngologist. First, the doctor will conduct a survey to identify a characteristic clinical picture, and then perform a laryngoscopic examination of the larynx.
This procedure is a certain difficulty, since the longitudinal axis of the larynx is at right angles to the axis of the oral cavity. Because of this, it is impossible to inspect it in the usual way. Inspection is carried out either using a laryngeal mirror, or using directoscopes.
This method allows you to determine how strong a person has edema, identify diffuse hyperemia of the mucous membrane and indicate thickening / depletion of the vocal folds.
The patient is also required to donate blood for a general analysis. Her study helps to determine the presence of leukocytosis in a person. If the doctor identifies a suspicion of the bacterial nature of the infectious agent, then a bacteriological study of swabs and sputum from the oropharynx is prescribed.
All this takes a certain amount of time, so with acute laryngitis, you need to go to the diagnosis immediately, with the onset of the first symptoms. The sooner drug therapy is started, the better.
Effective antibiotics
Well, now we can talk about the treatment of acute laryngitis in adults. If the doctor during the diagnosis revealed an infection of the tissues of the mucous membranes with bacteria, then he will prescribe antibiotics. In this case, the most effective are:
- Amoxiclav. Penicillin semi-synthetic antibiotic having high antibacterial activity.
- Amoxicillin. It has a wide spectrum of action. It mainly produces a bactericidal effect.
- "Flemoxin Solutab." It has the same effect as the listed drugs.
- Ampicillin and Augmentin. Bactericidal penicillin antibiotics that inhibit the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall.
- Ceftriaxone. Destructive effect on parasitic cells.
- Cefixim. An effective tool that helps with many infectious and inflammatory diseases.
- Aksetin. It has an antimicrobial and bactericidal effect.
- "Zinacef." Generation II antibiotic that inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis.
- Cefotaxime. Parenteral bactericidal antibiotic of the third generation.
- Clarithromycin. Macrolide antibiotic that inhibits protein synthesis in microbial cells. It has a bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect.
- "Sumamed." It belongs to the group of azrolide macrolides. It has a broad spectrum antimicrobial effect.
All of these drugs are effective, but which one is suitable for a particular patient is determined by the doctor depending on the severity of the disease and other nuances. Children are recommended penicillin preparations (the first 5 of those listed), since they have the mildest effect.
Antiviral drugs
They are prescribed if the acute form laryngitis was provoked by any virus. The most popular and effective drugs are:
- "Remantadine." Especially effective at an early stage. It inhibits the reproduction of the virus, preventing it from developing.
- Arbidol. Not only suppresses the virus, but also has an immunomodulating effect, significantly increasing the body's resistance to infections.
- Tamiflu. A powerful antiviral that inhibits the development of the virus, suppresses its pathogenicity, and also prevents the occurrence of complications.
- Amiksin. The action of this drug is aimed at the formation of gamma, beta and alpha interferons in the body, as well as the stimulation of bone marrow stem cells.
- Viferon. An immunomodulating drug that has antiviral and antiproliferative effects, and also increases the level of class A secretory immunoglobulins.
- "Grippferon." It has an antiviral, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory effect.
- "Peramivir". It helps in the treatment of acute laryngitis, and also, according to the WHO, it is one of the most effective drugs designed to fight the flu.
- Ingavirin. It has the same effect as the previous drug. No carcinogenic and reproductive toxicity.
- Interferon This is a drug based on cytokine proteins. It has an immunomodulatory and antiviral effect.
- Cycloferon. Inducer of interferon synthesis. It has a wide range of biological activity. Able to cope even with herpes and pathogens of acute respiratory diseases.
- Kagocel. It has the same effect as the previous drug. It has a long action lasting for 4-5 days after administration.
It is best to combine the use of antiviral drugs with antiseptic drugs. These are rinses, sprays, lozenges and candies. These include Yox Spray, Miramistin, Tantum Verde, Faringosept, Neo-Angin, Furacilin, Falimint, Iodinol, Lugol, etc.
Antihistamines
Without them, treatment of adult symptoms of acute laryngitis and the disease itself cannot occur. Antihistamines help reduce the intensity of symptoms and the body's response to an allergen.
The most popular drugs of this category include Norastemizole, Terfenadine, Karebastin, Akrivastin, Cetirizine, Epinastin, Fexofenadine, Azelastin, Dimetinden, Oxatamide, Astemizol , “Loratadine”, “Levocabastine”, “Desloratadine” and “Levocetirizine”.
In the treatment of acute laryngitis, adults take the listed medications in the form of tablets. The pediatrician prescribes suspensions and syrups for children, since they have a milder effect on their fragile body.
In severe cases, injections may be prescribed. Sometimes oral administration is impossible, or it carries the risk of suffocation, which often occurs due to laryngeal edema.
Solutions and sprays
Talking about how to treat acute laryngitis, one can not help but mention these funds. Sprays and solutions for this ailment are a real salvation, since they have several types of effects.
They reduce inflammation, eliminate dryness in the throat, relieve irritation of the mucous membranes, and also alleviate the general symptoms of the disease. There are also drugs that have anesthetic effect.
The most commonly used drugs are Tantum Verde, Ingalipt, Chlorophyllipt, Cameton, Oracept and Hexoral.
It is important to make a reservation that many of the drugs listed above have a plant basis. They do not harm the body, which is important, given the number of antibiotics taken by humans, antihistamines and antivirals. But pain eliminates these funds.
And in drugs such as Orasept and Tantum Verde, there is an anesthetic, so that they help get rid of even very severe pain.
Other drugs
As mentioned earlier, laryngitis is very often accompanied by fever. In such cases, you can not do without taking antipyretic drugs.
I am glad that there are drugs that not only bring down the temperature, but also have an anti-inflammatory effect. It is them that should be taken with laryngitis.
These include Panadol, Ibuprofen, Nimesil, Nurofen, Paracetamol and Nimegesic. By the way, all of the funds listed are also available in the "children's version" - in the form of suspensions and syrups.
Many also take throat lubricants. It is important to apply them carefully, otherwise you can damage the inflamed mucous membranes even more. The most effective remedies are Tannin on glycerin, Lugol, Kollargol and Karotolin.
Still, since laryngitis is often accompanied by rhinitis (severe runny nose), you have to use drops. With this disease, it is better to opt for drugs such as Collargol, Otrivin, Sanorin, Naftizin, Knox Spray, Nazivin and Tizin.
Folk remedies
They should be listed in the end. Perhaps the most famous home treatment is inhalation. In acute laryngitis, steam heating will be useful, the most important thing is not to make the water too hot so as not to burn the respiratory tract. And do not sit longer than 7-8 minutes.
What do you need? Take a wide bowl or pan, fill it with healing liquid, and then, covered with a towel, carefully inhale the steam. You can fill in the tank with one of the following:
- A herbal decoction made of sage, eucalyptus, peppermint, calamus, chamomile and fir.
- Water with the addition of essential oils. Suitable mint, juniper, eucalyptus, tangerine, clove, lemon, lavender, orange.
- Sea salt (per liter - 3 tbsp. L.).
- Mineral water.
- Soda solution.
- Onion or garlic infusion.
Also, instead of water, potatoes cooked in their uniforms can be placed in a container. His couples are also helpful. For best results, it is recommended to put potatoes on the dry leaves of chamomile, eucalyptus or mint.
However, inhalation should not be done if a person has a fever, any respiratory dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, as well as a tendency to nosebleeds.
And in general, before using any folk remedy, you need to consult your doctor. Perhaps there is no need for it. Moderation is important in treatment, since drug therapy is already a stress for a weakened body.