Acute Laryngitis

Aka: Acute Laryngitis, Infective Laryngitis, Viral Laryngitis, Bacterial Laryngitis, Acute Suppurative Laryngitis

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II. Epidemiology

  1. Laryngitis is the most common cause of Hoarseness in adults

III. Definitions

  1. Acute Laryngitis
    1. Self-limited vocal cord inflammation lasting shorter than 3-4 weeks
  2. Chronic Laryngitis
    1. Vocal cord inflammation lasting longer than 3-4 weeks

IV. Causes: Infectious Acute Laryngitis

  1. See Hoarsness Causes
  2. Viral Infection (Most common, responsible fo 90% of cases)
    1. Parainfluenza Virus
    2. Rhinovirus
    3. Influenza Virus
    4. Adenovirus
    5. Coronavirus
  3. Bacterial Infection
    1. Acute Streptococcal Pharyngitis
    2. Diphtheria (rare in United States due to Vaccine)
    3. Moraxella catarrhalis
    4. Haemophilus Influenzae
  4. Atypical infections
    1. Coccidioides immitis
    2. Cryptococcus neoformans
    3. Tuberculosis
    4. Blastomycosis
    5. Histoplasmosis

V. Causes: Non-Infectious Acute Laryngitis

  1. See Hoarsness Causes
  2. Acute Voice Abuse
  3. Persistent coughing
  4. Allergic Rhinitis

VI. Symptoms

  1. Hoarseness or harsh voice
  2. Aphonia (voice breaks intermittently)
  3. Upper respiratory symptoms (Pharyngitis, cough, nasal congestion) variably present
  4. Leukocytosis if Bacterial

VII. Differential Diagnosis

  1. See Hoarseness
  2. Croup
  3. Bacterial Tracheitis
  4. Acute Epiglottitis

VIII. Management

  1. Increased household humidity
  2. Voice rest
  3. Increase hydration
  4. Analgesics
  5. Antibiotics have not been shown to be beneficial
    1. Reveiz (2007) Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2): CD004783
    2. Schaleaen (1985) Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 94:14 [PubMed]
    3. Schaleaen (1993) Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 102:209 [PubMed]
  6. Indications for ENT Consultation
    1. Hoarseness persisting beyond 2-3 weeks

IX. Course

  1. Viral upper repiratory infection: 3-8 days

X. References

  1. Caserta in Mandell (2000) Infectious Disease, p. 662
  2. Feierabend (2009) Am Fam Physician 80(4): 363-70 [PubMed]
  3. House (2017) Am Fam Physician 96(11): 720-8 [PubMed]

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