Laryngitis???

Question

How would you know if you have laryngitis?
Wouldn't that be something the doctor would have to tell you that you have?


My friend told me he got laryngitis while I was talking to him. He sound pretty bad...he could barley talk higher than a whisper.

And I haven't met too many guys with laryngitis!

Answer 1

many things can make you lose your voice. People assume that everytime they lose their voice its laryngitis.

Answer 2

Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx generally associated with hoarseness or loss of voice. The voice box (larynx) is located at the top of the airway to the lungs (windpipe, trachea) and contains the vocal cords. When they become inflamed or infected, they swell. This can cause hoarseness, and may occasionally cause obstruction of the airway.

The most common form of laryngitis is an infectious illness usually caused by a virus which results in hoarseness. It may also be part of a bacterial infection or part of a common cold, bronchitis, flu, or pneumonia. Laryngitis often follows or occurs during an upper respiratory infection and is a self-limiting condition. Common laryngitis is not normally associated with any breathing difficulty (respiratory distress).

Several forms of laryngitis occur in children and can lead to significant or fatal respiratory obstruction. These are croup and epiglottis. Other causes of laryngitis include laryngeal polyps, laryngeal paralysis (such as Horner syndrome), premalignant changes of the vocal mucosa, malignant tumors, allergies, and trauma.

Symptoms of laryngitis are recent or current upper respiratory infection, hoarseness, fever, swollen lymph dnodes or glands in the neck and drooping eyelid on one side (horner syndrome).

Answer 3

You wouldn't be able to talk normally and your throat would feel all scratchy. And most people don't go to the doctor when they just have laryngitis unless they have something else to go with it like a cough or a fever. Laryngitis isn't rare. You just drink lots of fluids and rest your voice.

Answer 4

Laryngitis is an inflammation of your voice box (larynx) due to overuse, irritation or infection. The larynx is a framework of cartilage, muscles and mucous membranes that forms the entrance of your windpipe (trachea). Inside the larynx are your vocal cords — two folds of mucous membrane covering muscle and cartilage.

Normally your vocal cords open and close smoothly, forming sounds through their movement and vibration. But in laryngitis, your vocal cords become inflamed or irritated. They swell, causing distortion of the sounds produced by air passing through the vocal chords.

Laryngitis may be short-lived (acute) or long-lasting (chronic). Although acute laryngitis usually is nothing more than an irritation and inflammation from a virus, persistent hoarseness can signal a more serious problem. If it persists, tell him to see the doctor, in the meantime, he needs to stay as silent as possible. Talking will only aggravate his larynx.

Answer 5

laryngitis can happen to anyone, and this is a common time of year to get it. in fact, my son had it last week. no a doc dosent have to diagnose it....if your voice goes away...its called laryngitis. it will get better soon. he needs to just rest his voice and drink tea :)