Most cases of laryngitis get better without treatment within a week. To help your vocal cords heal, it's important not to smoke, to avoid smoky environments, drink plenty of fluids (particularly water) and try to rest your voice as much as possible.
Notably, the omicron variant is prone to cause severe laryngitis, resulting in fatal upper airway stenosis.
If your laryngitis is caused by an infection, you're contagious. The most common cause of laryngitis is a viral upper respiratory infection. If your laryngitis is caused by a viral illness, you'll be most contagious for the first three days, but could pass the infection for up to three weeks.
Is laryngitis contagious? Laryngitis is only contagious if an infection caused it. For example, if you have a viral or bacterial infection that caused the condition, it's possible to pass it on to others.
Exposure to irritating substances, such as cigarette smoke, excessive alcohol intake, stomach acid or workplace chemicals. Overusing your voice, by speaking too much, speaking too loudly, shouting or singing.
Laryngitis is commonly caused by a viral infection, such as a cold or flu. Bacterial infection may also cause laryngitis, although this is rare. You can also get laryngitis if you strain or overuse your voice by yelling or after long periods of talking, shouting or singing.
Conclusion: Previous variants of SARS-CoV-2 infection affected predominantly the lower respiratory tract and were associated with loss of smell and taste in many patients. The Omicron variant seems to affect predominantly the upper airways and cause acute laryngitis without olfactory dysfunction.
Acute laryngitis often gets better on its own within a week or so. Self-care measures, such as voice rest, drinking fluids and humidifying your air, also can help improve symptoms. Chronic laryngitis treatments are aimed at treating the underlying causes, such as heartburn, smoking or excessive use of alcohol.
Moisturizing your throat
Throat lozenges, saltwater gargles, and honey added to decaffeinated tea help moisturize the mucous membranes in your throat and relieve the irritating dryness associated with laryngitis.
The most common cause of laryngitis is a virus. Other types of infection (rare) are bacterial or fungal. Some inhaled medications can be a risk factor for laryngitis. Poor vocal hygiene can lead to laryngitis or inflammation of the vocal folds.
Voice rest can be helpful for acute cases of laryngitis, when your vocal cords are swollen and need a few days to recover. Discomfort and swelling should resolve within 24-48 hours of starting voice rest. Long-term voice rest is not recommended, except for patients recovering from vocal cord surgery.
Experiencing unexpected hoarseness or voice loss can indicate an underlying health condition. Other possible causes include: Acid reflux, known as heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Growths on your vocal cord tissue, also called vocal nodules, polyps, cysts, and contact ulcers.
Rest is best – Resting your vocal cords completely is the best type of treatment. This means no talking at all, including whispering, clearing your throat, and coughing. Even the smallest amount of strain to talk can affect your vocal cords.
Signs You Should Get Help for Laryngitis
If you have been hoarse for more than three weeks and your doctor determines that it's not being caused by a respiratory infection, they will likely refer you to an ear, nose and throat doctor (otolaryngologist) for tests and treatment.
As many people may have already discovered, after recovering from COVID-19, the patient's health may not be fully restored as some organs in the body may not function normally still. Some people's voice may even change – becoming raspy or softer than before; or the sound of the voice intermittently comes and goes.
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Coughing causes the vocal cords to bang together sharply, resulting in increased stress, swelling and irritation of the larynx. The throat then secretes more mucus (which is thick, sticky and hard to move), to try and protect the vocal cords, making the problem worse.
Most cases of acute laryngitis can be treated with home therapy including: Pain reliever/anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen. Warm, hydrating fluids.
If possible, rest your voice when you have laryngitis. If you overuse your voice when the vocal cords are inflamed, it may make the inflammation worse. It is unlikely to do any permanent damage but it may take longer for your normal voice to return.
Talking or whispering can aggravate the hoarseness. Irritants such as dust, dry air, drugs (especially antihistamines), caffeine, alcohol, cigarette smoke or food that causes allergic reaction can also wreak havoc on the cords.
Loss of voice can accompany many conditions that affect the throat such as viral sore throat, laryngitis, or mononucleosis. All of these conditions can be associated with fatigue as well.
Yes, stress (mental/emotional) is one of the more common causes of hoarseness.
If your laryngitis is caused by an infection, you will most likely need a course of oral antibiotics or antifungal therapy before it goes away. This will help minimize and kill the bacteria or fungus growth causing the infection.