Laryngitis

Laryngitis is when your voice box or vocal cords in the throat become irritated or swollen. It usually goes away by itself within 1 to 2 weeks.

Check if you have laryngitis

Laryngitis usually comes on suddenly and gets worse during the first 3 days.

The main symptoms are:

• a hoarse (croaky) voice
• sometimes losing your voice
• an irritating cough that doesn't go away
• always needing to clear your throat
• a sore throat

Children can also:

• have a high temperature of 38C or above
• be off their food or drink
• have difficulty breathing (but this is rare)

Laryngitis is often linked to other illnesses such as colds and flu, so you may also have other symptoms.

If you're not sure it's laryngitis check other sore throat symptoms.

How you can treat laryngitis yourself

Laryngitis usually goes away on its own after 1 to 2 weeks and you don't need to see your GP.

A pharmacist can help with laryngitis

Speak to a pharmacist about your sore throat. They can give advice and suggest treatments, including:

• paracetamol or ibuprofen
• cough syrup to help with your cough
• solutions to gargle or lozenges for the pain

See a GP if:

• your symptoms don't improve after 2 weeks
• it's very painful or it's difficult to swallow
• you keep getting laryngitis or voice problems

Get an urgent GP appointment if your child has difficulty breathing.

What causes laryngitis

Laryngitis usually happens when you have an infection from a virus, for example cold or flu. A flu vaccination will help prevent you getting flu.

Other things that cause laryngitis include:

• allergies to things like dust and fumes
• acid from your stomach coming up your throat (acid reflux)
• coughing over a long time
• clearing your throat all the time