Laryngitis is the medical term for inflammation and swelling of the larynx, characterized by voice loss and irritation of the vocal cords.
There are two types of laryngitis : acute or chronic.
Acute laryngitis is usually caused by an infection that inflames the vocal cords, but may also be caused by voice overuse with excess talking, singing or shouting.
Chronic laryngitis lasts over a week and comes back over time. It can be caused by :
- Acid reflux, which leads to laryngeal inflammation and chronic cough (known as Gastroesophageal reflux disease).
- Irritation, due for example to allergies, smoke, prolonged alcohol use or excess coughing.
- Rarely, chronic laryngitis can provoke cancer of the throat and tumor on the vocal cords.
| The different Laryngitis | |
| Acute | Usually lasts for ‹ 7 days |
| Chronic | Persistence of symptoms for 3 weeks or longer |
The most common cause of laryngitis is an infection, which could be either viral (which the most common virus is Rhinovirus), bacterial and rarely, a person may develop laryngitis from a fungal infection.
| Main pathogens involved in Laryngitis | |
| Viruses | Rhinovirus, Parainfluenza Virus, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Influenza and Adenoviruses |
| Bacteria | Moraxella catarrhalis, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae |
| Fungi | Candida species, or Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitis and Cryptococcus neoformans. |
The most common pathogens responsible for Laryngitis