Hoarseness: A change in your voice.

Hoarseness or dysphonia is a change in the tone of your voice.  It can have many different causes.  It can affect patients of all ages and sex but has an increased prevalence in teachers, older adults, and other persons with significant vocal demands. In fact, voice problems affect 1 in 13 adults annually. While patients report a significant impairment of the voice, a relative minority seeks medical care for the voice problem. Dysphonia is responsible for frequent health care visits and several billion dollars in lost productivity annually from missing work. Dysphonia is often caused by benign or self-limited conditions, but it may also be the presenting symptom of a more serious or progressive condition requiring prompt diagnosis and management.

The workup of dysphonia or hoarseness begins with a careful history and general physical examination from an otolaryngologist looking for possible causes or risk factors.  Next, we look at the vocal cords with a thin endoscope.  Since the cause of hoarseness can be quite varied, the treatment can range from a course of speech therapy, to medication, to control of risk factors, to surgery, among others.  

If you have a change in your voice lasting for four weeks or longer that is not responding to treatment, or if you are concerned about a change in your voice for any reason, do not hesitate to contact our office for an appointment!