Voice Disorders: What Harms the Voice and the Warning Signs

Your voice is the sound made by air passing from your lungs through your larynx, or voice box, where two bands of muscle, the vocal cords, vibrate to make sound. For most people the voice is a big part of who they are, what they do and how they communicate, and like a fingerprint, each voice is unique.

What can harm it

Many everyday habits can injure the vocal cords and make you hoarse: talking too much, screaming, constantly clearing your throat, and smoking. They can also lead to nodules, polyps and sores on the vocal cords. Other causes of voice disorders include:

• infections;
• stomach acid rising into the throat;
• growths caused by a virus;
• cancer;
• diseases that paralyse the vocal cords.

Warning signs

• your voice has become hoarse or raspy;
• you can no longer reach some high notes when singing;
• your voice suddenly sounds deeper;
• your throat often feels raw, achy or strained;
• talking has become an effort.

Treatment

It depends on the cause. Most voice problems can be treated successfully if they are diagnosed early.

Sources

• MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Voice Disorders," from the NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. https://medlineplus.gov/voicedisorders.html
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.