Laryngitis is also called dysphonia. This is an inflammation of larynx. It is characterized by irritation of vocal cords and voice loss. Laryngitis can be caused by several things like severe gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), shouting, smoking and several allergens. This is mainly caused by infections. It can either bacterial or viral infections. It can also be caused by certain serious medical conditions, like bronchitis, tonsillitis and even pneumonia.
Laryngitis symptoms include hoarseness in voice, difficulty in swallowing, coughing, sore and dry throat, difficulty in breathing, inability to eat, fever, swelling in lymph glands, flu and cold like symptoms. These symptoms may overlap with certain strep throat symptoms.
Is Laryngitis Contagious?
If laryngitis is caused due to fungal or bacterial infection or other infections, it is contagious, similar to several respiratory infections and also cold. In viral laryngitis case, it has contradictory views. Some say that it is not contagious and disappears in couple of days, under normal situation and others say it is contagious. This is so because, laryngitis is not contagious but the flu or cold that causes laryngitis is contagious. Hence, they concluded that laryngitis is not contagious.
If laryngitis is due to strain on the vocal cords, it might not be contagious. Instead, there is no certain reason for laryngitis to be contagious. This is so because, there is no certain agent responsible for larynx inflammation. If you are aware that you shouted or yelled yourself crooned or hoarse along, then it is not contagious.
Cough also causes laryngitis. If persistent cough causes swelling in larynx, situation could be tricky. This may or may not be contagious. Excessive coughing might spread the infection. If it is a dry cough, laryngitis is not contagious. It is tough to come to a conclusion to concrete yes or not. Ultimate conclusion can be, yes it might be contagious.
