Toward an Understanding of the Pathophysiology of Chronic Laryngitis

Chronic laryngitis, characterized by inflammation of the laryngeal tissues, is the most commonly diagnosed organic voice disorder, yet treatments targeting suspected etiologic factors have demonstrated limited efficacy. A major barrier to the development of improved medical therapies for chronic laryngitis is a fundamental gap in knowledge related to the pathophysiology of laryngeal inflammation. This article provides a review of the literature specific to laryngeal immunity in health and disease.