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Laryngitis is when your voice box or vocal cords become inflamed from overuse, irritation, or infection. The two main types of this condition are chronic (long-term) and acute (short-term) laryngitis.
A variety of conditions can cause the inflammation that results in laryngitis. These include viral infections, environmental factors, and in rare cases, bacterial infections.
Acute laryngitis is a temporary condition caused by an underlying infection or overuse. Treating the underlying condition will cause the laryngitis to go away. On the other hand, chronic laryngitis results from long-term exposure to irritants. This type of laryngitis tends to be more severe and have effects that last longer.
The causes of acute laryngitis include:
The causes of chronic laryngitis include:
Other reasons behind persistent hoarseness and sore throat could be cancer, paralysis of the vocal cords, or changes in vocal cord shape that result from getting older.
The most common symptoms of laryngitis include:
In infants and small children, certain symptoms indicate a form of bacterial laryngitis called croup. Croup, which is inflammation of the throat, can lead to the development of epiglottitis. Epiglottitis occurs when tissue swells to the point that it begins to close the windpipe. This condition can be fatal if not treated quickly. Seek immediate medical treatment if your child has:
Laryngitis affects your vocal cords and voice box. Your doctor will often start with a visual diagnosis. Your doctor will use a special mirror to view your vocal cords, or they’ll perform a laryngoscopy to magnify the voice box for easy viewing. During a laryngoscopy, your doctor will stick a thin flexible tube with a microscopic camera through your mouth or nose. Your doctor will look for the following signs of laryngitis:
If your doctor notices a lesion or other suspicious mass, they may order a biopsy to rule out throat cancer. During a biopsy, your doctor will remove a small piece of tissue so it can be examined in a lab.
Bronchitis is a respiratory disease in which the mucus membrane in the lungs’ bronchial passages becomes inflamed.
As the irritated membrane swells and grows thicker, it narrows or shuts off the tiny airways in the lungs, resulting in coughing spells that may be accompanied by phlegm and breathlessness.
The disease comes in two forms: acute (lasting from one to three weeks) and chronic (lasting at least 3 months of the year for two years in a row).
People with asthma may also have asthmatic bronchitis, inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes
Acute bronchitis may be responsible for the hacking cough and phlegm production that sometime accompany an upper respiratory infection. In most cases, the infection is viral in origin, but sometimes it’s caused by bacteria.
If you are otherwise in good health, the mucus membrane should return to normal after you’ve recovered from the initial lung infection, which usually lasts for several days.
chronic bronchitis is a serious long-term disorder that often requires regular medical treatment.
If you are a smoker and come down with acute bronchitis, it will be much harder for you to recover. Every cigarette damages the tiny hair-like structures in your lungs, called cilia, that are responsible for brushing out debris, irritants, and excess mucus.
If you continue smoing, the damage to these cilia prevent them from functioning properly, thus increasing your chances of developing chronic bronchitis. In some heavy smokers, the mucus membrane lining the airways stays inflamed and the cilia eventually stop functioning altogether. Clogged with mucus, the lungs are then vulnerable to viral and bacterial infections, which over time distort and permanently damage the lungs’ airways. This permanent condition is called COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Your doctor can perform a breathing test, called spirometry, to see if you have developed COPD.
Chronic bronchitis is one of two main types of a COPD. The other main form of COPD is emphysema. Both forms of COPD make it difficult to breathe.
Acute bronchitis is very common. The disorder often can be treated effectively without professional medical assistance. However, if you have severe or persistent symptoms or high fever, or if you cough up blood, you should see your doctor right away.
Seek emergency medical help if you have trouble brathing or have chestpain. If you suffer from chronic bronchitis, you are at risk for developing heart problems, as well as more serious lung disases and infections, so you should be monitored by a doctor.
Acute bronchitis is generally caused by lung infections, 90% of which are viral in origin. Repeated attacks of acute bronchitis, which weaken and irritate bronchial airways over time, can result in chronic bronchitis.
Industrial pollution is another culprit. Chronic bronchitis is found in higher-than-normal rates among coal miners, grain handlers, metal molders, and other people who are continually exposed to dust and fumes. But the chief cause is heavy, long-term cigarette smoking, which irritates the bronchial tubes and causes them to produce excess mucus. The symptoms of chronic bronchitis are also worsened by high concentrations of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants in the atmosphere.
Pneumonia is a lung infection that can make you very sick. You may cough, run a fever, and have a hard time breathing. For most people, pneumonia can be treated at home. It often clears up in 2 to 3 weeks. But older adults, babies, and people with other diseases can become very ill. They may need to be in the hospital.
You can get pneumonia in your daily life, such as at school or work. This is called community-associated pneumonia. You can also get it when you are in a hospital or nursing home. This is called healthcare-associated pneumonia. It may be more severe because you already are ill. This topic focuses on pneumonia you get in your daily life.
Germs called bacteria or viruses usually cause pneumonia.
Pneumonia usually starts when you breathe the germs into your lungs. You may be more likely to get the disease after having a cold or the flu. These illnesses make it hard for your lungs to fight infection, so it is easier to get pneumonia. Having a long-term, or chronic, disease likeasthma, heart disease, cancer, or diabts also makes you more likely to get pneumonia.
symptoms caused by bacteria usually come on quickly. They may include:
When you have mild symptoms, your doctor may call this “walking pneumonia.”
Older adults may have different, fewer, or milder symptoms. They may not have a fever. Or they may have a cough but not bring up mucus. The main sign of pneumonia in older adults may be a change in how well they think. Confusion or delireum is common. Or, if they already have alung disease, that disease may get worse.
Symptoms caused by viruses are the same as those caused by bacteria. But they may come on slowly and often are not as obvious or as bad.
The adenoids are a mass of soft tissue behind the nasal cavity. Like lymph nodes, adenoids are part of the immune system and are made of the same type of tissue (lymphoid tissue). White blood cells circulate through the adenoids and other lymphoid tissue, reacting to foreign invaders in the body.
We all have adenoids at birth and in childhood, but as we head into adolescence they start to shrink. By adulthood, most people’s adenoids have disappeared.
- DR. ANASWARA DEV