Symptoms and Diagnosis of Laryngitis

Laryngitis

• Symptoms include hoarse voice, fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and painful swallowing
• Symptoms usually last less than two weeks
• Vocal cords may be examined via laryngoscopy
• Other conditions with similar symptoms include epiglottitis, croup, and foreign body inhalation

Treatment of Laryngitis

• Acute form generally resolves without specific treatment
• Chronic form occurs most often in middle age and is more common in men than women
• Supportive measures include resting the voice, sufficient fluids for hydration and humidification, and antibiotics in bacterial laryngitis

Tracheitis

• Symptoms include barking cough following a recent URI, inspiratory stridor, 'scratchy' feeling in the throat, chest pain, labored breathing, fever, ear ache, headache, and dizziness
• Caused by Staph. aureus that often follows a recent viral URI
• Most serious in young children due to the small size of the trachea that can be easily blocked by edema

Diagnosis of Tracheitis

• Diagnosed clinically, often confused with croup
• Children can develop symptoms of epiglottitis within hours

Treatment of Tracheitis

• Mild to moderate cases are managed at home
• More severe cases require admission to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for intubation, supportive ventilation, and IV antibiotics
• Invasive and non-invasive monitoring may be required in PICU

Epiglottitis

• Symptoms include fever, sore throat, stridor, difficult and painful swallowing, drooling, anxiety, and irritability
• Diagnosed at emergency care facility, no attempt at home to open the mouth forcefully and view the throat
• Oxygen saturation needs to be monitored, and laryngoscopy is performed to look for evidence of epiglottic swelling or obstruction

Treatment of Epiglottitis

• Maintaining PaO2 > 94% is an important measure to prevent further complications
• Intubation, ventilator support, and tracheostomy may be required
• Broad-spectrum antibiotics are used to treat responsible infections, and corticosteroids are used to reduce the edema of the epiglottis

Bronchitis

• Symptoms include wet cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest pain
• Bronchitis can be acute or chronic
• Acute bronchitis is usually caused by a viral infection, while chronic bronchitis is caused by smoking, air pollution, and genetics

This quiz covers the common symptoms, diagnosis, and differentiation of laryngitis from other similar conditions. Learn about the vocal cord examination process and more.