Have you ever noticed that your voice has started to disappear? Did you know that this change in voice could be one of the symptoms of vocal cord inflammation? What is meant by this inflammation? What are its causes? We will learn about all this and more in the following article.
Vocal cord inflammation may be acute, lasting no more than 3 weeks, or chronic, lasting longer than 3 weeks. In this article, we will learn more about vocal cord inflammation.
Inflammation of the vocal cords: causes
Inflammation of the vocal cords is caused by many factors, including
Infections: Various infections, such as viral infections and bacterial infections, may cause acute vocal cord inflammation.
Vocal cord fatigue: Screaming or talking for long hours may cause vocal cord fatigue, leading to severe inflammation.
Allergy: Exposure to allergens such as smoke may cause chronic inflammation of the vocal cords.
Some diseases: Some diseases, such as esophageal reflux disease or chronic sinusitis, can cause chronic inflammation of the vocal cords.
Inflammation of the vocal cords: symptoms
Symptoms of inflammation in the vocal cords often appear suddenly and increase in severity within 3 days. Among the symptoms that appear due to inflammation of the vocal cords are:
Feeling pain or itching in the throat.
The presence of hoarseness or loss of voice.
High temperature.
Dry cough.
Swollen lymph nodes.
Vocal cord inflammation: diagnosis
There are several methods used to diagnose inflammation in the vocal cords, including
1. The anointing
The doctor examines the throat and takes a swab of throat tissue to be examined in the laboratory. The swab test is useful in confirming inflammation of the vocal cords resulting from a viral or bacterial infection, by culturing the swab and waiting for any growth to appear.
Video you may like
2. Laryngoscopy
Through endoscopy, a special laryngoscope is used, which is a tube with a tip containing a special camera that is ed through the nose or mouth to enlarge the vocal cords to facilitate examination and search for signs of redness, swelling, or irritation of the vocal cords.
3. Biopsy
A biopsy is sometimes used if any suspicious signs appear during laryngoscopy, as the doctor takes a sample from the vocal cords to be examined under a microscope.
Inflammation of the vocal cords: treatment
There are many ways in which inflammation of the vocal cords can be treated, including home methods and medical methods, as follows:
1. Home methods for treating inflammation of the vocal cords
There are many special tips for treating vocal cord inflammation at home, including
Drink plenty of fluids, especially water, while avoiding drinks rich in caffeine.
Gargling with saline solution to reduce pain and swelling associated with inflammation.
Sucking medical tablets that contain eucalyptus or mint extracts.
Do not use decongestants, as they increase throat dryness.
2. Medical methods for treating inflammation of the vocal cords
There are many medical methods used to treat vocal cord inflammation, such as
Antibiotics: Some antibiotics, such as erythromycin, are used to treat bacterial infections.
Analgesics: Various analgesics are used to relieve the pain associated with inflammation, and among these analgesics we mention Paracetamol and Ibuprofen.
Corticosteroids: Corticosteroids are used to reduce the severity of symptoms and treat inflammation.
Voice therapy: Voice therapy is one of the types of speech therapy that helps preserve the voice and avoid its loss.
Inflammation of the vocal cords: complications
There are some complications that may result from not treating vocal cord inflammation properly, such as:
Respiratory distress syndrome.
Epiglottitis.
Septicemia.
Pneumonia.
