What Is Hoarseness?

Hoarseness is the change of voice quality where someone's voice becomes squeaky, harsh or cracking. Hoarseness is caused by some kind of injury or irritation to the vocal cords.

• Hoarseness causes a harsh-sounding voice.

Symptoms

• The symptoms of hoarseness include difficulty speaking or singing, having a voice that sounds raspy or having no voice at all. More serious symptoms that need special attention are difficulty swallowing and throat pain.

Causes

• Hoarseness is caused by allergies, smoking, gastroesophageal reflux (also known as GERD) and laryngitis. It can also be caused by conditions such as cancer of the larynx or Parkinson's disease.

Diagnosis

• Hoarseness is generally diagnosed when a doctor examines a patient's head and neck. If this is not enough to make a diagnosis, doctors will use a fiberoptic scope (i.e., a long lighted tube) to view the vocal cords.

Treatment

• Treatment of hoarseness can include antibiotics (if the hoarseness is cause by a bacterial infection) or medication that alleviates the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux or allergies if they are the causes. If the vocal cords have been used too much, resting the voice can also be effective in relieving hoarseness.

Prevention

• Hoarseness can be prevented by quitting smoking, changing diet (if it is caused by GERD) or avoiding stress on the vocal cords by using a microphone.