If you've lost your voice and can't identify an obvious cause, make an appointment to see your doctor. Experiencing unexpected hoarseness or voice loss can indicate an underlying health condition. Other possible causes include: Acid reflux, known as heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD).
In some cases of laryngitis, your voice can become almost undetectable. Laryngitis may be short-lived (acute) or long lasting (chronic). Most cases of laryngitis are triggered by a temporary viral infection and aren't serious. Persistent hoarseness can sometimes signal a more serious underlying medical condition.
A change in your voice can happen for many reasons, including: An Illness: Colds and other upper respiratory infections inflame and swell your vocal cords, making your voice sound hoarse or raspy. If you've been sick, you'll usually start to notice an improvement in your voice within a week or two.
A symptom with many causes
Losing your voice is a symptom and not a condition itself, says voice care specialist Claudio Milstein, PhD. “If you have lost your voice, you might find that your voice sounds rough, raspy, tired or feel like it takes a lot of effort to speak,” he says.
Experiencing unexpected hoarseness or voice loss can indicate an underlying health condition. Other possible causes include: Acid reflux, known as heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Growths on your vocal cord tissue, also called vocal nodules, polyps, cysts, and contact ulcers.
“Laryngitis itself is not contagious,” Peña said. “However, the viral upper respiratory infections that cause laryngitis can be.” As long as you don't have any other severe symptoms, you should be able to continue your daily activities while you have laryngitis.
In most cases, it gets better without treatment in about a week. Symptoms of laryngitis can begin suddenly and usually get worse over a period of two to three days. Common symptoms of laryngitis include: hoarseness.
Acute laryngitis is the most common cause of hoarseness and voice loss that starts suddenly. Most cases of acute laryngitis are caused by a viral infection that leads to swelling of the vocal cords.
It's not a disease, but a catch-all word that means you've lost your voice. If it happens suddenly, it's called "acute" laryngitis. You can get it from a cold or overusing your voice. You can get long-term laryngitis if you breathe in something irritating, like smoke or chemical fumes.
Your voice box is in your throat and helps you talk. When you cough lots and are breathless, some people find their voices become hoarse and or weak.
Why is my voice hoarse but my throat doesn't hurt? A hoarse voice without a sore throat can occur when a non-inflammatory condition has caused loss of vocal cord function. This can be caused by overuse like yelling or speaking in an abnormal tone for long periods of time.
Laryngitis is commonly caused by a viral infection, such as a cold or flu. Bacterial infection may also cause laryngitis, although this is rare. You can also get laryngitis if you strain or overuse your voice by yelling or after long periods of talking, shouting or singing.
These changes often happen in people who have been very ill with COVID-19 and needed support with breathing (ventilation). This is because the tube that was put into the throat to help with breathing has irritated it. The swallowing or voice changes are likely to get better without any treatment.
As many people may have already discovered, after recovering from COVID-19, the patient's health may not be fully restored as some organs in the body may not function normally still. Some people's voice may even change – becoming raspy or softer than before; or the sound of the voice intermittently comes and goes.
Notably, the omicron variant is prone to cause severe laryngitis, resulting in fatal upper airway stenosis.
If your laryngitis is caused by an infection, you're contagious. The most common cause of laryngitis is a viral upper respiratory infection. If your laryngitis is caused by a viral illness, you'll be most contagious for the first three days, but could pass the infection for up to three weeks.
If your laryngitis is caused by an infection, you will most likely need a course of oral antibiotics or antifungal therapy before it goes away. This will help minimize and kill the bacteria or fungus growth causing the infection.
Drink noncaffeinated fluids, rest, perhaps use a humidifier and, most important, do not strain your voice. Don't whisper, don't raise your voice or talk for long periods of time. Resting your voice helps. Unfortunately, most people tend to keep talking and forcing their voice, causing more strain and hoarseness.
Loss of voice can accompany many conditions that affect the throat such as viral sore throat, laryngitis, or mononucleosis. All of these conditions can be associated with fatigue as well.
Rest is best – Resting your vocal cords completely is the best type of treatment. This means no talking at all, including whispering, clearing your throat, and coughing. Even the smallest amount of strain to talk can affect your vocal cords.
Most cases of acute laryngitis can be treated with home therapy including: Pain reliever/anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen. Warm, hydrating fluids.