Stenosing Laryngitis

Stenosing Laryngitis: description, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Stenotic laryngotracheobronchitis, also known as croup, is an acute inflammatory disease of the larynx that can affect the trachea and bronchi. It often occurs as a manifestation of acute respiratory viral infection and can be a complication of a bacterial infection. Stenosing laryngitis is most common in children with allergic and exudative-catarrhal diathesis and can have an undulating course. In this article we will look at the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of stenosing laryngitis.

Symptoms

Stenosing laryngitis can occur acutely, often at night. In some children, it is preceded by symptoms of ordinary laryngitis, such as a dry, especially barking cough, sore throat and slight hoarseness. The severity of stenotic laryngitis depends on the degree of stenosis and respiratory failure. There are four degrees of stenosis:

I degree stenosis - short-term difficulty breathing or longer, but mild; attacks of difficulty breathing occur rarely, noisy breathing, hoarse voice, barking cough, slight cyanosis, slight retraction of the pliable areas of the chest, mainly in the epigastrium. There is no respiratory failure.

Second degree stenosis is characterized by a duration (up to 5 days), a violation of the general condition of the child, who becomes restless, a barking, rough cough intensifies, and attacks of difficulty breathing often occur, accompanied by retraction of all pliable places of the chest; breathing is noisy, audible at a distance. The stenosis may be permanent or wavy in nature. Respiratory failure is moderate.

III degree stenosis is a significant and constant difficulty breathing with retraction of all pliable places of the chest (jugular fossa, supra- and subclavian spaces, epigastric region). Sweating, severe restlessness of the child are observed (the patient is tossing about in bed), breathing in the lungs is weakened. There are signs of cardiovascular failure (loss of pulse wave, etc.) and increasing hypoxemia - pallor, adynamia. Respiratory failure is severe.

IV degree stenosis - stage of asphyxia.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of stenosing laryngitis is based on clinical symptoms and physical examination of the patient. During the examination, the doctor pays attention to the nature of breathing, frequency, rhythm and duration of cough, the presence of retractions of the intercostal spaces, epigastrium and jugular fossa. Blood and sputum tests may also be done to check for infection.

Treatment

Treatment of stenosing laryngitis should be immediate and aimed at improving breathing. In most cases, patients are prescribed glucocorticosteroids, which help reduce swelling of the mucous membrane of the larynx and trachea. Bronchodilators such as epinephrine or salibutamol may be used to improve breathing. In some cases, oxygen therapy may be required.

Severe laryngitis stenosis sometimes requires hospitalization of the patient to administer oxygen, monitor respiratory function and monitor the state of the cardiovascular system. In rare cases, a tracheostomy may be necessary to allow air into the lungs.

Overall, the prognosis for most patients with laryngitis is good, and most cases are successfully treated with conservative methods. However, in cases of severe forms of stenosing laryngitis, especially in children, immediate medical intervention may be required.