Laryngitis medical therapy

Laryngitis Microchapters
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Chetan Lokhande, M.B.B.S [2], Alonso Alvarado, M.D. [3], Anthony Gallo, B.S. [4]

Overview

There is no treatment for viral laryngitis; the mainstay of therapy is supportive care. The mainstay of therapy for infectious causes of laryngitis is antimicrobial therapy. Medical therapy for laryngitis due to gastroesophageal reflux includes acid suppression therapy such as either omeprazole or ranitidine.

Medical Therapy

Viral laryngitis

• There is no treatment for viral laryngitis; the mainstay of therapy is supportive care.
• Ibuprofen and aspirin may help alleviate fever and some of the discomfort associated with laryngitis.
• Patients are advised to avoid speaking when possible. They are instructed to speak softly, but to avoid whispering, which further strains the voice.
• Throat clearing is not advised. The act of clearing one's throat may aggravate the laryngitis.
• Humidifiers and warm showers can also help alleviate some symptoms.
• Steroids may be prescribed to help accelerate the healing if significant inflammation is present.

Gastroesophageal reflux laryngitis

• The mainstay of therapy for gastroesophageal reflux laryngitis is an H2 antagonist (e.g.: ranitidine) or a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) (e.g.: omeprazole, esomeprazole, pantoprazole). These drugs may be prescribed for a period between 4-6 weeks.

Bacterial laryngitis

• The patient may be prescribed a course of antibiotics however, there is little evidence to demonstrates the efficacy of oral antibiotics for laryngitis.

Antibiotic Therapy

• Antibiotic use is not associated with significant improvement of objective symptoms and is not a first-line therapy for the treatment of acute laryngitis.
• Fusafungine, a locally acting antibiotic, has been shown to increase the number of asymptomatic patients by the fifth day of disease.