You are seeing this message because your Web browser does not support basic Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing and what you can do to make your experience on this site better.


ABOUT ARCHIVES
Advanced Search

Welcome   | My Account | E-mail Alerts | Access Rights | Sign In


  Vol. 128 No. 6, June 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS
  Archives
  •  Online Features
  Original Article
 This Article
 •Full text
 •PDF
 • Reply to article
 •Send to a friend
 • Save in My Folder
 •Save to citation manager
 •Permissions
 Citing Articles
 •Citation map
 •Citing articles on ISI (10)
 •Contact me when this article is cited
 Related Content
 •Similar articles in this journal

Steroid Inhaler Laryngitis

Dysphonia Caused by Inhaled Fluticasone Therapy

John M. DelGaudio, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2002;128:677-681.

Objective  To describe a condition that is referred to as steroid inhaler laryngitis, a clinical entity that is caused by the use of inhaled fluticasone propionate and manifested by dysphonia, throat clearing, and fullness.

Design  Case series.

Setting  An outpatient clinic of an academic referral center.

Patients  The study population consisted of 20 patients with reactive airway disease and dysphonia who were receiving inhaled fluticasone therapy and who were diagnosed as having steroid inhaler laryngitis during the period from January 1998 to June 2000.

Intervention  Cessation of inhaled fluticasone therapy when possible, as well as treatment of other underlying causes of dysphonia, such as laryngopharyngeal reflux and infectious processes.

Main Outcome Measure  The resolution of dysphonia with cessation of inhaled fluticasone therapy.

Results  Patients with steroid inhaler laryngitis were found to have laryngeal findings ranging from mucosal edema, erythema, and thickening to leukoplakia, granulation, and candidiasis. Patients with more severe mucosal findings were more likely to have laryngopharyngeal reflux as well. Resolution of dysphonia occurred only after discontinuation of the inhaled fluticasone therapy.

Conclusions  Steroid inhaler laryngitis is a form of chemical laryngopharyngitis induced by topical steroid administration. Symptoms and physical findings mimic laryngopharyngeal reflux, but only respond completely to discontinuation of the inhaled steroid therapy. The otolaryngologist should be familiar with this cause of dysphonia.


From the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga.







HOME | CURRENT ISSUE | PAST ISSUES | TOPIC COLLECTIONS | CME | SUBMIT | SUBSCRIBE | HELP
CONDITIONS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT US | SITE MAP
 
© 2002 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.