Laryngitis Home Remedies

Sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing, and a hoarse voice are symptoms of laryngitis.

Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx. Usually, inflammation of the larynx is caused by viral infections. Viral infections caused by infections may have symptoms like a sore throat, cough, difficulty swallowing, and with a fever. If the voice changes last long after the fever and other symptoms go away the viral infection is cured. You can get laryngitis because of irritation to the vocal cords. Sports fans, singers, cheerleaders, and small children may be hoarse or have a raspy voice after bouts of shouting or screaming. Environmental causes of irritation of the airway that can result in inflammation of the larynx include exposure to tobacco smoke or other chemicals.

Acute laryngitis lasts a few days up to a couple of weeks. If the symptoms of last more than 3 weeks it is called chronic laryngitis. If you or your child's laryngitis symptoms last more than 3 weeks call your doctor or your child's Pediatrician for an appointment.

Laryngitis typically lasts a few days, and symptoms should resolve within 7 days but can linger up to 2 weeks. If symptoms persist longer than 3 weeks, call your doctor for an appointment.

Usually, laryngitis treatment for children and adults are home remedies that relieve pain and other symptoms by resting your and breathing humidified air. A great way to humidify the air is to take a steam bath in hot water, and inhale it deeply. You can rub eucalyptus essential oil to your hands while you inhale the steam if it feels good.

Children with croup may have more difficulty breathing, like trying to inhale through a swollen and narrow larynx, and the cartilage may collapse. When this happens in infants and babies, the cartilage becomes stiff, and the infant or baby when they try to inhale deeply, but in children, the cartilage is weaker and with each inspiration, the child may need to work hard to inhale. The maturing of laryngeal cartilage and widening of airways usually occurs by age 6 or 7.

Infants and children with croup will have more difficulty inhaling through a swollen and narrow larynx, and the tissues surrounding the upper airway may collapse. This leads to the classic "seal-like" bark cough associated with symptoms of croup, which include a hoarse, barky cough, fever, and some respiratory distress when the infant or child works harder to breathe and draw air in through the inflamed voice box area. Symptoms may be more severe at night.

Croup is often described as a "disease of the nighttime" because visits to the emergency department peak after midnight with sick infants and children.

Treatment for chronic laryngitis in both children and adults is determined by the cause of the inflammation or loss of function; however, if you avoid drinking alcohol and stop smoking, it will help relieve painful symptoms until the cause is diagnosed. Bacterial and fungal infections may need to be treated with antibiotics to cure the infection.

Over-the-counter medications that treat the anti-inflammatory properties include acetaminophen (Tylenol) or anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil, Aleve). Note: Do not give aspirin to children because of the risk of Reye's syndrome.

Usually, laryngitis is evaluated by your primary care doctor, internist, or your child's pediatrician. If laryngitis goes away within a couple of weeks (acute), you don't need any additional treatment. If you or your child has laryngitis that hasn't gone away after a couple of weeks, see an ear, nose, and throat specialist called an otolaryngologist or ENT. If the doctors believe that you may have digestive issues, you may need to go to your nearest emergency department or urgent care for immediate treatment.