It is an inflammation of the larynx and may be acute or chronic laryngitis.
Acute laryngitis is mainly caused by viruses and may be exclusively related to the larynx or may be part of a more general respiratory infection. Voice hoarseness is the most common symptom in acute laryngitis and in some cases complete loss of voice (aphonia). The patient may also complain of pain during speech and swallowing. If the disease affects the entire upper respiratory system, the symptoms are accompanied by fever and general malaise.
Treatment of acute laryngitis includes aphonia, painkillers, inhalation of water vapor and antibiotic treatment if necessary. The importance of aphonia should be emphasized to the patient, since forced phonation in a larynx that is already inflamed can cause permanent vocal disturbances. The patient should avoid speaking when possible and if he or she has to communicate verbally to do so for a brief period of time with a calm voice – whisper should also be avoided.
There are special forms of acute laryngitis that affect mostly children and are caused by viruses or germs. They can lead to life-threatening situations for a child, so parents and pediatricians should pay more attention.
Chronic laryngitis can be established from the outset as a standalone condition or it can be the result of acute laryngitis.
Factors favoring the establishment of chronic laryngitis include smoking, the inhalation of dust or air containing chemicals (eg in the workplace), oral respiration, persistent irritation of the larynx from the nose and pharynx, voice abuse, gastroesophageal reflux disease.
It manifests with hoarseness, which may be accompanied by pain or cough.
The treatment of chronic laryngitis consists of avoiding the etiologic factors that cause it, voice economy and proper medication. If these measures do not relieve the disease and laryngoscopy reveals alterations in the vocal cords, a biopsy is needed to rule out malignancy.
Quinsy- tonsil infection
It is usually a complication of tonsillitis and is the collection of pus in the tissues around the tonsils. It usually occurs on one side and is more common in males while rare in children. The quinsy is often formed during the attenuation of acute tonsillitis. That is, after a brief amelioration of the symptoms of tonsillitis, the patient sharply gets high fever, complains for severe pain in one side of the neck that reflects the ear and worsens even when swallowing saliva. Also, the patient has a distorted voice as if he has a hot potato in his mouth, which makes it difficult or impossible to open.
Quinsy is a serious condition that can even threaten patient’s life. For the treatment, it is necessary to open and drain the abscess, which immediately relieves the patient. At the same time, antibiotics are being administrated , and in many cases hospitalization is necessary.
Due to the high recurrence rate of the abscess, the tonsils should be removed after a reasonable period of time and after the general improvement of patients’ health. This period usually ranges from 4-6 weeks.