Sorethroat, cough and hoarseness

Sore Throat, Cough and Hoarseness?

If you have these symptoms you are right in style because everyone is doing it at URI.
Many of your fellow students are experiencing an illness that starts with a cough and sore
throat and progresses to hoarseness and a painful cough that hurts in the throat and
sometimes behind the breast bone. Some of you have been very tired and even achy
during the first 3-5 days of this illness. You might feel a postnasal drip and have a
sensation that there is mucous caught in your throat that you wish you could just cough
out. Even simple talking can cause a tickle that makes you want to cough.
This is what we are telling your fellow students when they come to Health Services:

Well call this illness “laryngotracheitis” because it causes inflammation in the larynx
(voicebox) and trachea (the main breathing tube that goes to the lungs). This is usually
caused by a viral illness. In little children, this causes croup – a painful barky cough.
Because it is usually caused by a virus, it is not made better by antibiotics. It can last 10-
14 days.
There are some things you can do that might help you feel better while you are waiting
for your body to fight off this illness and get better.
Many of you have noticed that a hot steamy shower helps. Well, you can’t take showers
all day, but you can help your throat feel better by sipping on hot tea or hot water with
honey and lemon. You can make that right in your room in the microwave. Breathe in
the warm steam while you are sipping. It really does help.
Suck on cough drops with menthol or eucalyptus. The soothing vapors will help control
the tickle you feel that leads to the cough. You can get these free at the Pharmacy
counter at Health Services.
Some of you might get some relief by using cough medicines such as Guaifenesin DM
(available free at the Health Services Pharmacy), or Delsym or Mucinex DM (both
available at local stores and pharmacies).
If you are feeling very congested, spraying nasal saline in your nose provides some relief.
If you prefer a decongestant pill you can try pseudoephedrine – commonly called
Sudafed. Pseudoephedrine makes some people feel like they are drinking coffee, so be
sure to try it at first in the day to see how it affects you instead of at night when it might
keep you awake. Both are available free at the Health Services Pharmacy. Our
pharmacy dispenses real pseudoephedrine, not the replacement “phenylephrine” currently
being sold over the counter at stores.
Try acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin), both available free at the
Health Services Pharmacy, for the sore throat and body aches.
While many of the above might help you feel better, it’s your own body that will make you actually get better. You can help your body do that by getting adequate rest and drinking plenty of fluids…a difficult task for a college student, but necessary to help you recover quickly. You can help protect your friends and co-workers by covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and cleaning your hands frequently with soap and water or Purel type hand cleaners. Sometimes things don’t go the way they should. You should contact us at Health Services, or a medical provider of your choice, if you experience hoarseness or other symptoms of laryngotracheitis that last longer than two weeks, or if you feel very ill, are vomiting, have a high fever or difficulty breathing. We have nurses available to assess you and provide advice, and to help you determine if you need to see a nurse practitioner or physician. We look forward to partnering with you to help you stay healthy and make the best of your experience at URI.

Source: http://health.uri.edu/docs/Laryngotracheitis.pdf