hoarseness

hoarseness or one hoarse voice is an impairment in which the voice usually sounds different than normal and the spoken volume is limited. In rare cases it can even lead to voicelessness or the person concerned can only whisper.

What is hoarseness?

In the context of colds or excessive use of the voice, hoarseness passes quickly, but permanent hoarseness requires a consultation with an ENT doctor for clarification.

When diagnosing hoarseness, medicine distinguishes disphonia - a change in the voice that has arisen, caused by overexertion of the vocal cords or a disease of the larynx - from aphonia, which describes the voicelessness in the context of the disease.

Dysphonia is characterized by the fact that the voice pitch and strength of the patient change. Quiet, rasping and especially low tones of the voice when speaking are noticeable.

In the context of colds or excessive use of the voice, hoarseness passes quickly, but permanent hoarseness requires an appointment with an ear, nose and throat doctor to clarify whether a serious illness (larynx cancer) is the cause of the hoarseness.

causes

Most of the time the hoarseness is harmless. It usually disappears as quickly as it came. Hoarseness usually occurs in the course of a cold and is often accompanied by a sore throat.

Anatomically speaking, the voice arises in the larynx. The vocal cords in it come together when speaking and almost completely close the ridge.

Sounds are created when exhaled air escapes through this crack and the vocal cords are made to vibrate. In the case of hoarseness, this process is unnaturally impaired so that the vocal cords can no longer vibrate freely.

The causes are mostly infectious diseases such as colds, bronchitis and flu. Often, however, the hoarseness also affects people who have to talk a lot and loudly, such as teachers. The larynx is particularly affected by inflammation.

Ultimately, external factors are also responsible for hoarseness. These include above all smoking, cold or too dry or warm room air, singing and screaming, which can severely damage the mucous membranes.

In more severe cases, hoarseness can also occur in the context of benign tumors such as vocal cord nodules or vocal cord polyps. Cancers such as larynx cancer or lip ligament cancer cannot be ruled out.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines for hoarseness

Diseases with this symptom

• cold
• Vocal cord paralysis
• Pseudo croup
• Epiglottitis
• Goiter

• flu
• Laryngitis
• Vocal fold polyp
• diphtheria
• Reflux disease

• Vocal cord inflammation
• Sore throat
• Vocal cord nodules
• bronchitis
• Throat cancer

Complications

Hoarseness often occurs as a harmless symptom of various diseases, the cause of which can be found in flu-like infections, overloading the vocal folds or other physical disharmonies. Hoarseness, which persists over a long period of time, can also indicate a serious illness or become a complication itself.

People with thyroid disease often complain of a "lump in the throat". The feeling of pressure and tightness causes swallowing difficulties, irritation of the vocal cords and the associated hoarseness alternate in shorter and shorter periods. If the size of the thyroid gland increases enormously, the windpipe becomes narrowed. There is a risk of shortness of breath!

Hoarseness with an urge to cough are signs of acute laryngitis, which can cause the lining of the larynx to swell. A great danger is bacterial inflammation of the epiglottis (epiglottitis) and the subglottic larynx inflammation (pseudocroup) that usually occurs in children after a cold. The barking cough, the difficult breathing with a hoarse voice occur as attacks and mainly at night. The child suffers from severe shortness of breath and is afraid. Until the emergency doctor arrives, it is important to have a calming effect on the child, to hold it in your arms. Inhaling cold, moist air with the window open has a decongestant effect.

Even under medical treatment, such as operations under anesthesia, complications or anesthesia incidents are possible. Intubation, in which the doctor inserts a tube (tube) through the mouth or nose, can injure the throat, larynx, windpipe or vocal cords, which can leave behind permanent voice disorders due to hoarseness. Today, however, this is extremely rarely the case due to the constant care of anesthetists and monitoring with the help of technical devices.

When should you go to the doctor?

If the hoarseness lasts longer than ten to 14 days, the cause should be clarified by a doctor. However, if there are other symptoms such as severe swallowing difficulties, pain or shortness of breath, a doctor should be consulted immediately.

The same applies if the hoarseness is accompanied by a high fever or a swollen throat: In these cases, it is often a bacterial infection that requires immediate treatment. Even if the eyelids, lips or the entire face swell like attacks, you should not wait to see a doctor. If the hoarseness only lasts for a few days, but keeps returning, it is also advisable to consult a doctor to rule out serious illnesses.

The family doctor can be the first point of contact - but there is also the option of going straight to an ear, nose and throat doctor. Both the family doctor and the ENT doctor refer the patient, if necessary and depending on the suspected diagnosis, to a specialist, for example to a specialist in phoniatrics, an allergist or a neurologist.

Doctors & therapists in your area

Treatment & Therapy

Home remedies ↵ for hoarseness As a rule, hoarseness does not have to be treated because it goes away on its own after a few days. Nevertheless, the voice should be spared. Speaking quietly is the top priority. Furthermore, smoking is strictly prohibited. Drinking a lot of hot tea or milk with honey has a healing effect. Warm steam baths with chamomile extracts for the additional recovery process.

However, if the hoarseness remains or is combined with pain or shortness of breath, a doctor should be consulted immediately who will clarify the causes of the hoarseness. It checks how long the hoarseness has lasted, whether pain or difficulty swallowing occurs and whether there has been any contact with environmental stimuli (such as smoke and chemical substances).

This is followed by an examination of the body, during which the lymph nodes are palpated and the inside of the mouth and throat are examined. Often the blood is drawn and a larynxoscopy is done.

Depending on the cause, further diagnoses are carried out, e.g. an examination of the larynx via x-ray, ultrasound examination, tissue sampling from possible tumors or a computed tomography.

If the hoarseness is related to another illness, this must first be treated. In the case of bacterial inflammation of the larynx, antibiotics should be prescribed by the doctor. If vocal cord nodules appear, they should be removed endoscopically. Surgical interventions only take place in the case of cancer of the larynx, which is sometimes combined with radiation therapy.

Outlook & forecast

Everyone will experience hoarseness several times in life. In the case of slight hoarseness, it can be assumed that it will disappear again quickly. Especially if it can be traced back to a known reason, such as insufficient fluids when speaking for a long time, it can often be rectified immediately. Liquid, a throat candy, or herbal tea can help.

Often a slight hoarseness is also a sign of an approaching cold. This takes a few days and usually improves quickly. The exception can be a serious infection - or flu or tonsillitis. In these cases, the hoarseness persists for more than a few days.

Hoarseness is particularly unpleasant as a result of recurring tonsillitis, which mainly occurs in children and less often in adults. If the tonsils often become inflamed, they are removed to avoid constant infections.

Aside from infectious causes, hoarseness can also be due to a throat irritation. It occurs, for example, after intubation anesthesia or surgery in the neck area. Unless there is an injury to the neck, the hoarseness usually disappears within a few days. It can last a little longer after surgery and it improves as soon as the mucous membrane of the throat heals. Fortunately, this is faster than with normal skin, so that the hoarseness usually only lasts for days in these cases.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines for hoarseness

Prevent

Avoid loud and prolonged talking or even screaming. Drink it regularly. Humidifiers can help against too dry and hot air. Avoid smoking and handling chemical irritants.

Home remedies & herbs for hoarseness

• Coltsfoot has an appetizing effect and helps with coughs, mucus and hoarseness.

You can do that yourself

A number of home remedies provide relief for hoarseness. If you are hoarse, you should first protect your voice and speak as little and softly as possible. In order to protect the vocal cords, you should also avoid hot, fatty or spicy food and drinks. Constant clearing of the throat should be avoided if possible, as this irritates the mucous membranes and can exacerbate the symptoms. It makes more sense to gargle regularly, either with a salt solution or with sage or chamomile tea.

Inhaling with salt water vapor or a solution is similarly effective. In addition, pastilles with sage or Iceland moss can help relieve hoarseness. Effective home remedies are also licorice root, thyme, fennel and mallow; these can either be taken as tea or gargled and promise acute relief from the symptoms.

Often recommended remedies such as warm milk should be avoided due to the risk of vocal cord congestion. Damaging influences such as smoking or drinking, but also stress and tension, must also be avoided during the illness. In addition, hoarseness should always be discussed with the family doctor in order to ensure a quick recovery.