Most Common Causes of Hoarseness

What are the most common causes of hoarseness?

Voice problems can be caused by many different reasons.  Short-term hoarseness can occur even after simple upper respiratory tract infections or after a short period of misuse of the voice (shouting, cheering, excessive coughing, throat clearing, etc.). Prolonged hoarseness, especially those lasting longer than two weeks, may be the first sign of more serious problems.

According to a study published in Laringoskop, the respected journal of the Otorhinolaryngology community, functional voice disorders constitute the largest group among patients presenting with hoarseness.

Functional hoarseness (Functional dysphonia) (FD) is a condition in which the vocal cords, which are structurally normal, cannot properly fulfil their function of producing sound. In other words, it can be defined as inappropriate or improper use of a normal vocal organ. The most current term for this clinical condition is malregulatory hoarseness (malregulatory dysphonia). This term is intended to indicate that the organ is actually in good organic condition, but the sound is not ideally produced due to inappropriate muscle tension regulation. In order to make this diagnosis, the patient should be evaluated by a clinic specialised in voice disorders in the light of all necessary examinations. This patient group constitutes 10-40% of voice patients (1). The signs and symptoms of FD may vary greatly, but can be seen in most patients following upper respiratory tract infection. It is more common in women than in men. It is usually transient and response to treatment is variable.

The second most common cause of hoarseness is vocal cord nodules with a rate of 15%.

Vocal cord nodules are benign (i.e. non-cancerous) growths that form on the free surface where the vocal cords come into contact. They are caused by misuse or misuse of the voice. They can be likened to calluses on our hands or feet, as they are caused by prolonged straining of the voice at the wrong sound intensity, at the wrong pitch or inappropriately. People who use their voices professionally, such as teachers, voice artists, presenters, call centre workers and religious leaders, are much more likely to suffer from hoarseness than the rest of the population.

The third most common cause of hoarseness is laryngopharyngeal reflux with 9%.