N139 - Chronic laryngitis
Synonyms
No known synonym
Name of the disease in English
Chronic laryngitis
The disease in brief
It is most often the result of unhealed or poorly healed croupal laryngitis; the most audible manifestation is the relatively acute laryngeal rattle or stridor which persists. The risk of forming a laryngeal abscess should be taken into consideration.
Clinic & diagnosis
The persistence of a more or less marked laryngeal rattle is the basis of clinical diagnosis.
general signs: moderate to marked depression and possible anorexia. Difficult and painful swallowing, saliva may flow.
respiratory signs: laryngeal stridor (= more or less acute timbre rattle), dyspnea and orthopnea. Painful wet cough. Possible smell of necrosis. End shuddering on palpation of the larynx which is painful, increases dyspnea and causes the rattle.
Typical sign of the disease
No description
Pictures
See below
Diagnostic formulas
No description
Differential diagnosis
-IBR RS18 -Tracheal edema syndrome N365 -Propharyngeal lymph node abscess-N273 - Laryngeal papillomatosis N140 - Laryngeal trauma N146
Confirm a suspicion?
The only means suitable for confirmation would be laryngoscopy or x-ray, which are not available in rural practice.
Prognosis and treatment
Very reserved prognosis.
When the chronic stage is the continuation of an acute phase, the treatment used in the acute phase can be usefully resumed:The treatment is by injection of antibiotics (betalactamines, macrolides, Trimatoprime-suffamide) by a long system (optimum 3 weeks, minimum 5 days, even if improvement). An anti-inflammatory (corticosteroids (++) or possibly NSAIDs) will usefully supplement the anti-infective if the inflammation and dyspnea are strong.
Tpossible racheotomy
Prevention
Intervene quickly during the acute phase of the disease.
References
Large animal internal Medecine-Field Guide. SMITH B.BP. Mosby ed p 172