• The characterising symptom of laryngitis is voice loss or hoarseness
• Speaking or trying to speak may be painful
• Symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection often accompany laryngitis, and may include sore throat, respiratory congestion, cough, nasal discharge, fever, and fatigue
• Swallowing may be painful or difficult
• Shortness of breath
• Symptoms of laryngitis tend to come on suddenly
• In most cases, laryngitis resolves itself in a week to ten days. If it persists for longer than 3 weeks, it is considered chronic and requires professional care.
  

The most common cause of laryngitis is an infection with one of the viruses that cause upper respiratory tract infections. Less commonly, it may be caused by bacterial infection, or may be a symptom of another infection (e.g. measles, mumps or chicken pox), or an autoimmune disease (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis).

Other causes may include irritation of the larynx due to:

• Over-using the voice (e.g. singing or yelling loudly or for long periods)
• Cigarette smoke or other inhaled toxins (e.g. air pollution)
• Use of asthma inhalers
• Gastric acids in reflux disease.

The loss of voice occurs because when the voice box becomes inflamed, the vocal chords are unable to vibrate as they usually do, and consequently are incapable of producing sound, or can only produce limited sounds.

• Lozenges containing echinacea, vitamin C and eucalyptus oil help soothe and relieve sore throat. The eucalyptus oil provides a cooling effect on the throat, and helps clear any nasal congestion.
• In clinical studies, andrographis has been shown to relieve symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections such as throat infections and the common cold. It is considered particularly effective for sore throats, and also helps to alleviate other symptoms, such as runny nose, fatigue, and nasal discharges.
• Echinacea helps support the immune system and may assist the body in fighting infections.
• Echinacea is often taken with antioxidant nutrients that also support the immune system, such as betacarotene, vitamins C and E and the minerals zinc and selenium.