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Summary
Voice is the sound made by air passing from your lungs through your larynx, or voice box. In your larynx are your vocal cords, two bands of muscle that vibrate to make sound. For most of us, our voices play a big part in who we are, what we do, and how we communicate. Like fingerprints, each person's voice is unique.
Many things we do can injure our vocal cords. Talking too much, screaming, constantly clearing your throat, or smoking can make you hoarse. They can also lead to problems such as nodules, polyps, and sores on the vocal cords. Other causes of voice disorders include infections, upward movement of stomach acids into the throat, growths due to a virus, cancer, and diseases that paralyze the vocal cords.
Signs that your voice isn't healthy include
- Your voice has become hoarse or raspy
- You've lost the ability to hit some high notes when singing
- Your voice suddenly sounds deeper
- Your throat often feels raw, achy, or strained
- It's become an effort to talk
Treatment for voice disorders varies depending on the cause. Most voice problems can be successfully treated when diagnosed early.
NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Diagnosis and Tests
- Laryngoscopy - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Laryngoscopy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
Prevention and Risk Factors
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Keep Your Voice Sound: How to Prevent and Avoid Voice Problems
(National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- What's the Difference Between Vocal Cord Dysfunction and Asthma? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Specifics
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Hoarseness
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish
- Laryngitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Laryngospasm: What Causes It? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
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Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis or Laryngeal Papillomatosis
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish
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Spasmodic Dysphonia
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
- Vocal Cord Paralysis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Vocal Fold Paralysis
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish
- What are Vocal Cord Dysfunction (VCD) and Inspiratory Laryngeal Obstruction (ILO)? (American Thoracic Society) - PDF Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
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Quick Statistics about Voice, Speech, and Language
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Laryngeal Diseases
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Laryngitis
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Vocal Cord Dysfunction
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Voice Disorders
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Development of the German Speech Intelligibility Index for the treatment of...
- Article: Cross-cultural adaptation of the Chilean version of Evaluation of Ability to...
- Article: Voice-Related Quality of Life Is Associated with Postoperative Change in Subglottic...
- Voice Disorders -- see more articles
- Vocal cord disorders -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
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Directory of Organizations (Deafness and Communication Disorders)
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
- Find an ENT (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
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National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Children
- What's an Adam's Apple? (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation)
Patient Handouts
- Hoarseness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Laryngeal nerve damage (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Laryngitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Laryngoscopy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Spasmodic dysphonia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish