Hoarseness

What is hoarseness?

Hoarseness is a symptom of irritation of the voice box. When you are hoarse, your voice sounds unnaturally low or deep.

How does it occur?

Hoarseness is caused most often by a viral upper respiratory tract infection, such as a cold. Often the other symptoms of the infection have gone away and only the hoarseness remains. It can also occur after too much singing, yelling, or cheering.

Hoarseness that does not go away in a week or two may be caused by smoking, hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, or other diseases of the voice box and surrounding tissue.

How is it diagnosed?

Your health care provider will ask about your symptoms and examine you.

If you have had hoarseness for quite a while, your provider may use a laryngoscope to examine your voice box and surrounding tissues. A flexible laryngoscope is a special light to look behind your tongue.

Your health care provider will also examine your thyroid gland and lymph nodes.

If you have chronic hoarseness, your health care provider may order lab tests, depending on the findings of your physical exam. These may include a test for thyroid function and tests for other illnesses that sometimes cause hoarseness.

Your provider may refer you to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist if your hoarseness continues.

How is it treated?

Treatment varies depending on the condition causing the hoarseness.

If you are a smoker and develop hoarseness, your health care provider will advise you to stop smoking immediately and to rest your voice.

If you have acute laryngitis (inflammation of the vocal cords), your health care provider may recommend breathing humidified warm or cool air and resting your voice. Your provider may prescribe a steroid spray for your throat.

If nodules have formed on your vocal cords, your health care provider will prescribe drug therapy and recommend that you rest your voice. Nodules can be surgically removed, if necessary.

Other treatments may be necessary for other illnesses causing the hoarseness.

How long will the effects last?

Hoarseness should be gone in a week or two unless it is caused by an underlying disease.

How can I take care of myself?

Follow the instructions your health care provider gives you. In addition, you can:

If you have hoarseness for more than 2 weeks, see your health care provider.

What can be done to help prevent hoarseness?

Avoid smoking, straining your voice, and exposure to chemical irritants.

This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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