When to see your doctor

Although symptoms of laryngitis usually go away within a few days, they may take as long as 2 weeks to clear up completely. Talk to or visit your doctor if symptoms come on suddenly with no apparent cause and do not improve within a few days. If you have severe pain or problems swallowing, or you are coughing up blood, see your doctor right away.

Medical history and physical exam

To diagnose laryngitis, your doctor will ask about your recent medical history and conduct a physical exam. He or she will feel your neck for sensitive areas or lumps and look at your nose, mouth, and throat for inflammation. This helps him or her determine whether your symptoms are related to laryngitis or to another condition.

When to see a specialist

You may be referred to an ear, nose, and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) when:

• Your symptoms have not improved or gone away after 2 weeks.
• You have sudden symptoms that cause severe pain (especially pain radiating up into your ear), difficulty swallowing, or you are coughing up blood.
• Another condition is suspected from your medical history and physical exam.
• Your doctor thinks that the cause of your laryngitis may become chronic and lead to another condition. For example, if you are a professional singer who sometimes gets laryngitis, a specialist may help you improve your singing technique to prevent you from developing nodules or polyps on your larynx.

If the specialist determines that your voice problems are more serious than larynx inflammation or laryngitis, you may have more tests, such as:

• A laryngoscopy. For this test, the doctor looks at the back of your throat, voice box (larynx), and vocal cords with a scope (laryngoscope). During this test, the doctor may also collect a sample of larynx tissue for a biopsy. The tissue is examined to rule out cancer or another serious problem. Cancer is of special concern if you smoke and have lumps around your larynx.
• A video laryngostroboscopy. This test allows the doctor to view the rapid vibration of your vocal cords using a lighted instrument, a fiber-optic telescope.

Other tests will depend on the nature of the suspected larynx damage.