What are the clinical manifestations of acute laryngitis in children?

What are the clinical manifestations of acute laryngitis in children? Laryngitis is also a relatively harmful disease for adults. It can be said that suffering from laryngitis is quite painful. If a child suffers from acute laryngitis, you can imagine how harmful this disease is. Therefore, we must ensure timely discovery. So what are the clinical manifestations of acute laryngitis in children?

Clinical manifestations

Acute laryngitis in children is common in infants and young children aged 6 months to 3 years. Due to the anatomical characteristics of the larynx in children, the laryngeal cavity is narrow, the laryngeal cartilage is soft, the submucosal tissue of the epiglottic cartilage, arytenoid cartilage, aryepiglottic folds, ventricular bands and subglottic area is loose, and the mucosal lymphatic vessels are rich. After inflammation, it is easy to swell and cause laryngeal obstruction. Children do not have a strong cough function, and it is not easy to expel the secretions of the larynx and lower respiratory tract, which makes breathing more severe. Therefore, the condition of acute laryngitis in children is often more serious than that of adults. If not diagnosed and treated in time, it can be life-threatening.

Signs:

1. It is more common in young children and has an acute onset.

2. There may be varying degrees of fever, hoarseness, barking cough and inspiratory stridor.

3. The throat is congested, the false vocal cords are swollen, and the subglottic mucosa is swollen in a fusiform shape.

4. The symptoms are milder during the day, but worsen at night due to relaxation of throat muscles and blockage of secretions after falling asleep.

5. Laryngeal obstruction is divided into the following 4 degrees:

Grade I: The patient is like a normal person at rest, but inspiratory stridor and dyspnea only occur after activity. The lung breath sounds are clear and the heart rate does not change.

Grade II: Laryngeal stridor and inspiratory dyspnea occur even at rest. Laryngeal conduction sounds or tubular breath sounds may be heard upon auscultation of the lungs, and the heart rate is relatively fast.

Grade III: In addition to the symptoms of Grade II laryngeal obstruction, the patient becomes restless, has cyanosis of the lips, fear and sweating due to lack of oxygen. Auscultation of the lungs reveals significantly reduced breath sounds, dull heart sounds and increased heart rate.

Grade IV: After struggling with breathing difficulties, the patient gradually becomes exhausted and drowsy. Due to the inability to breathe, the patient is temporarily quiet, and the three-depression sign is not obvious, but the face is pale and gray. The breath sounds on lung auscultation almost disappear, and only tracheal conduction sounds are left. The heart sounds are dull and weak, and the heart rate is either fast or slow and irregular.

Physical examination: congestion in the throat, swelling of the false vocal cords, and fusiform swelling of the subglottic mucosa. Depending on the severity of the lesion, laryngeal striae and inspiratory dyspnea may sometimes occur, and laryngeal conduction sounds or tubular breath sounds may be heard by auscultation of the lungs.