What is laryngitis?
Laryngitis is an infection or inflammation of the larynx (voice box). It is a common throat condition generally associated with a sore throat, hoarseness or loss of voice, and frequently occurs in children over the age of three and young adults.
What causes laryngitis?
The voice box contains the vocal cords and is located at the top of the airway to the lungs. When the vocal cords become infected by a virus they swell. Occasionally it can also cause obstruction of the airway. Laryngitis often occurs during an upper respiratory infection and usually goes away by itself. It is not normally associated with breathing difficulties.
Most cases of laryngitis are caused by viruses and result in hoarseness.
They are often linked to a common cold, bronchitis, flu, pneumonia or a bacterial infection. Laryngitis can also be caused by a simple irritation to the voice box when, for example, the child shouts too loudly for too long.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms usually include:
* sore throat
* hoarse voice
* fever
* upper respiratory infection
* swollen neck glands.
In young children laryngitis sometimes further narrows an already small airway, which can result in breathing difficulties. Signs of a narrowed airway would include:
* a wheezing or grunting sound each time the child breathes
* retracting chest muscles during inhalation
* problems with respiration
* poor sleeping pattern
* pale skin.
Diagnosis and treatment As most common forms of laryngitis are due to viruses, antibiotic treatment is not generally recommended. A child who is not presenting with a fever, chills or any signs of serious breathing difficulties can usually be treated at home.
Plenty of liquids should be given to the child to ease their throat and they should be told to rest their voice.
When should I call a doctor?
Sometimes acute laryngitis can be serious. A doctor should be called if the child's symptoms last longer than a week or if they:
* experience difficulties with breathing and swallowing
* have a high fever and sore throat
* have a chill
* are vomiting or have trouble swallowing food
* are unable to consume liquids
* are coughing up blood or yellow/ green phlegm
* have a hoarse voice lasting more than a week.
If the child is drooling more than usual, has a whistling noise in his or her throat and is experiencing breathing problems, parents should also seek medical advice.
Preventative measures
Children are more susceptible to upper respiratory infections during the winter months when colds and flu are rife. As laryngitis is a viral infection there is no obvious way of prevention. However, you can help prevent the spread of infection by:
* hand-washing before and after eating and using the toilet
* avoiding people with infectious respiratory illnesses
* avoiding crowded environments where infection can easily spread.
Can laryngitis cause croup?
Yes. Croup is an acute form of laryngitis when the virus spreads to the windpipe and larger breathing passages. It can have dramatic effects on children simply because their breathing tubes are so small. The inflammation of the larynx can cause enough swelling to obstruct the passage of air through it. So instead of laryngitis the child has croup, which leaves them breathing with a rasping noise.
In more severe cases the child may wake up in the middle of the night with a painful hacking cough, followed by a strange barking noise as the breath is drawn inwards.
What to do if this happens: You will need to call a doctor immediately. In the meantime, while you are waiting try these emergency steps:
* try to keep the child calm and quiet. The less they struggle and cry, the less oxygen they will use up
* carry the child to the window and encourage them to take up to six breaths of fresh night air. Then carry the child to the bathroom, close the window and turn on the hot taps to allow the room to fill with steam. Stay in the steam-filled room for ten minutes.
These actions should help the child until a doctor arrives. Or, if you can't get hold of a doctor ring for an ambulance, or take the child by car to an accident and emergency department.
For further information scroll through the family and patient section of the Great Ormond Street Hospital website: www.gosh.nhs.uk.
