Hoarseness

Chronic voice hoarseness: when is it an emergency?

Examination and investigations of a patient with voice hoarseness and chest pain should focus on looking out for dissecting or leaking aneurysms, which may be catastrophic if missed.

Dysphonia or Hoarseness

Don't you like medical terms? Dysphonia is the medical term for "hoarseness" that can further be termed a voice change that is characterized as raspy, coarse, and/or soft. Everyone knows hoarseness and probably you have diagnosed it in your own voice, as well as others with whom you converse. So the question is, what does it mean?

Finding Their Voice, Then Losing It

Hoarseness is a general term that describes abnormal voice changes. When speaking or singing, vocal cords come together, and as air leaves the lungs, they vibrate, producing sound. Swelling or lumps on the vocal cords prevent them from coming together properly and changes the way the cords vibrate, which results in a breathy or raspy voice, as well as changes in volume and pitch. Hoarseness can result from swelling caused by colds or irritation to the cords from acid reflux or overuse. Smoking, allergies and even the normal menstrual cycle can cause hoarseness.

Hoarseness: An approach for the general practitioner

Hoarseness is a common presenting complaint and can be a symptom of benign or malignant disease. It is important to differentiate between those requiring urgent referral to an otorhinolaryngologist and those who can be safely managed by the general practitioner. Vocal hygiene and speech therapy are valuable treatment tools for many benign conditions. Any patient with red flag features on history or persistent hoarseness should be referred to an otorhinolaryngologist.

Hoarseness—Causes and Treatments

Hoarseness can be caused by acute (42.1%) and chronic laryngitis (9.7%), functional vocal disturbances (30%), and benign (10.7–31%) and malignant tumors (2.2–3%), as well as by neurogenic disturbances such as vocal cord paresis (2.8–8%), physiologic aging of the voice (2%), and psychogenic factors (2–2.2 %). Hoarseness is very rarely a manifestation of internal medical illness.

How to actually fix a lost voice, according to science (hint: lemon and honey doesn’t work)

Losing our voice, having a hoarse voice, or having any difficulties with our voice can be challenging, especially for those who need to use it for work.

The day my voice broke: what an injury taught me about the power of speech

When I damaged my vocal cords, I was forced to change the way I spoke – and discovered how much our voices reveal who we are.

Why do stars like Adele keep losing their voice?

There is no precise data on the number of performers who have gone under the knife over the years. But several surgeons told me they estimate that vocal cord surgery has been performed on thousands of pop, rock and classical singers, as well as on theatre and stage musical stars. Cancelled shows reverberate across social media and hit a struggling music industry hard.

Why You Shouldn’t Whisper with a Hoarse Voice

Although your natural instinct may be to whisper when you have laryngitis, speech therapists believe you may actually be straining your vocal cords.

With A Quick Throat Massage, A Voice Returns

By massaging and relaxing the muscles in her throat, Milstein was able to release the vocal cords and allow Treible to speak again -- all in about seven minutes.

How to Get Your Voice Back

A hoarse voice can be caused by many different factors, including...