Laryngitis

Laryngitis is a vocal-chord inflammation. Laryngitis can be caused from the overuse of your voice through singing, talking or shouting. One common cause for laryngitis is infection which acts to inflame your vocal cords (and this is known as acute laryngitis).

Laryngitis affects both adults and children. At IPSA Medical, we do routinely assess/examine children of any age, as our resident doctor is experienced in paediatric A&E.

At the IPSA Medical clinic, our doctor, who has a strong emergency medicine background, will see you in our clean and quiet setting. The environment is totally confidential.

You can be booked in to see your IPSA Medical doctor immediately, and this is always at a time that suits you. We always take your symptoms seriously.

What Are the Symptoms of Laryngitis?

If an infection is the reason for your laryngitis, you might have any of the following symptoms:

In children, symptoms of an inflamed larynx that has been caused by an infection may be fever coupled with a hoarse “barking” cough.

If the cause for your laryngitis is non-infectious, you might develop hoarseness and a bad cough. You may also experience a feeling of “fullness” in the throat.

Often, these symptoms are accompanied by a shortness of breath and also difficulty when swallowing. If the inflammation does cause some minor bleeding, then you might cough up some blood (in your saliva); however, this is rare.

IPSA Medical: Treating Laryngitis

At IPSA Medical, our medics are all very experienced A&E doctors. You will be given a full consultation. This is to ensure that there are no serious causes for the symptoms you have.

Your IPSA Medical doctor might offer you a number of different treatments. Often, if an area of your body is inflamed, then rest is the most effective treatment. For laryngitis, resting your voice is the best treatment. Whispering does not help and can actually delay recovery as your vocal cords have to work harder. Talk in a normal voice and try to limit the amount you talk.

You will be advised to drink lots of fluids (to keep hydrated) and to breathe in humidified air. For the pain, take paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Depending on the symptoms you present with and the reason for the inflammation, your IPSA Medical doctor might suggest:

Your IPSA Medical doctor will offer immediate treatment so as to relieve the distressing symptoms (such as wheezing and/or difficulty breathing).

After your laryngitis consultation, you will have easy access to IPSA Medical doctors over the phone. This is to answer further questions or allay worries after you have gone home with your treatment.

At IPSA Medical, the aim is to give you both peace of mind and full accessibility to IPSA Medical doctors. If you require medical sick notes, then these can be provided.

Contact IPSA Medical for a same-day laryngitis consultation. Alternatively, you can book your appointment online.