Is Laryngitis Contagious
Answering The Question, “Is Laryngitis Contagious?”
If you or somebody you know has the condition you may be worried with the question of is laryngitis contagious. This is an understandable concern because if we have the condition we don’t want to pass it on to anybody else, and if we don’t have it we don’t really want to catch it off anybody either. Below we will examine the evidence in regards to when is laryngitis contagious.
Laryngitis is an inflammation of your larynx. Your larynx is in your throat, and it is more commonly known as your voice box; it is used for sound production and protection of the trachea. An inflammation is an immune response that your body creates when it believes it is under attack. The most usual causes or laryngitis are; a viral or bacterial infection, inflammation due to putting too much strain on the larynx, coughing a lot, drinking too much alcohol, or smoking. When you consider these causes the condition, it might give you an idea about the answer to the question of is laryngitis contagious or not.
When you have laryngitis you will experience different symptoms due to the inflammation. It can make your voice sound hoarse, and you can have difficulty swallowing food or even drinking. You might also find that lymph nodes are swollen, and the swelling in your throat can be uncomfortable. Laryngitis can also be quite painful. Your throat may also feel dry, and young children can have difficulty breathing.
So now that you have a better understanding about what laryngitis is and what happens when you have it we can now see is laryngitis contagious or not. Whether or not laryngitis is contagious will depend on what has caused it in the first place. If it has been caused by too much alcohol or cigarettes then it won’t be contagious. If it was caused by shouting too much at a football game or during a rock concert then that too won’t be contagious. If, on the other hand, your laryngitis has been caused by a virus or by bacteria then you will be able to pass this on to other people and so need to take precautions.
So the first thing you need to do with laryngitis is to determine the cause. If you were drinking and smoking heavily the night before while supporting your favourite football team then this was more than likely the cause. If on the other hand, you have a fever or other symptoms then you will need to consider the fact that you are contagious so as to avoid passing it on to other people. The main ways that we pass our germs and bugs onto other people is by sneezing, coughing, and not washing our hands. When we have a type of laryngitis that we thing might be contagious then we need to do all we can to avoid it spreading. We need to make sure we cover our mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing. Cleaning our hands is a must; do it regularly and especially after we have just used our hands to block a cough.
Treatment for laryngitis will often depend on its cause; it usually only lasts a few days. If it has been caused by an infection then the doctor might put you on an anti-biotic. If there is a lot of throat pain then there are pain killers and preparations available for this. If our laryngitis has been caused from overuse or abuse then it will usually disappear after a while away from the thing that caused it. If you have the slightest doubt you should always visit your doctor for more expert advice.