Laryngitis is not always serious, and usually you will recover in around 7 days without treatment. Nevertheless, it is estimated that 21 per cent of the population can develop chronic laryngitis. In here we will help you spot laryngitis and when to call our GP for laryngitis in Marbella.
What is laryngitis?
Laryngitis is a kind of vocal cord inflammation. Our vocal cords produce the sound when they open and close. Laryngitis means that the vocal cords are swollen and the air that moves through the throat changes, distorting the sounds that they produce and creating a voice that is gravelly, hoarse, or too low to hear properly.
The inflammation is persistent in chronic laryngitis. Vocal cords, including polyps or nodules, may become stretched and develop growths.
Is it laryngitis?
In most cases, signs of laryngitis occur for less than a few weeks, and are caused by something mild, such as a virus. Less frequently the signs of laryngitis are caused by something that is more severe or lasts longer. Symptoms and signs of laryngitis may include:
- Hoarseness
- Weak voice or voice loss
- Tickling sensation and rawness of your throat
- Sore throat
- Dry throat
- Dry cough
When to call our GP for laryngitis in Marbella
You may take self-care measures to treat most acute cases of laryngitis, such as resting the voice and drinking plenty of fluids. Intensive use of your voice will damage your vocal cords during an episode of acute laryngitis.
Call our GP for laryngitis in Marbella if your laryngitis symptoms last more than two weeks.
Seek immediate medical attention if you:
- Have trouble breathing
- Cough up blood
- Have a fever that won't go away
- Have increasing pain
- Have trouble swallowing
Seek immediate medical attention if your child:
- Makes noisy, high-pitched breathing sounds when inhaling (stridor)
- Drools more than usual
- Has trouble swallowing
- Has difficulty breathing
- Has a fever higher than 39.4 C
Such symptoms and signs can suggest croup. Croup is the inflammation of the larynx and the airway just below it. Although croup can usually be treated at home, more serious symptoms require medical attention by our GP for laryngitis in Marbella. Such symptoms can also suggest epiglottitis, an inflammation of the tissue that serves as a cover to protect the windpipe, which may put children and adults at risk for life.