Voice Disorders

Voice disorders affect your ability to speak normally. They may change the quality, pitch or loudness of your voice. A voice disorder can prevent you from communicating with others or expressing yourself. This can have a serious impact on your quality of life.

How does your voice work?

Air moves through your lungs, up into your windpipe (trachea) and through your voice box (larynx). Your vocal cords are on either side of your larynx. They vibrate as air moves through them, which produces the sound of your voice. It’s a little like whistling. When you force air through your lips, they vibrate slightly and make a high-pitched sound.

What are the categories of voice disorders?

Voice disorders typically fall into one of the following categories, but they may overlap:

• Functional: The structures that produce vocal sounds — your voice box, vocal cords and lungs — are normal, but you have problems using them. Functional disorders are usually the result of not being able to use your vocal cord muscles.
• Organic: There are problems with the structure of your voice box, vocal cords or lungs. Organic disorders are usually structural (such as abnormal growths on your larynx) or neurological (another disorder affects the nerves that control your larynx).
• Psychogenic: Although rare, some voice disorders develop due to emotional stress or trauma. They might be the result of anxiety, depression or conversion disorder.

What are the different types of voice disorders?

There are many types of voice disorders, but some of the most common include:

• Hoarseness is when your voice sounds raspy or weak. It can have lots of causes, from viral infections to Parkinson’s disease.
• Laryngitis is irritation or swelling of your voice box. It’s usually temporary and the result of allergies or an upper respiratory infection.
• Muscle tension dysphonia occurs when you put too much stress on your vocal cords and the muscles get tight.
• Spasmodic dysphonia causes spasms in your voice box muscles.
• Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) prevents your vocal cords from opening all the way, which can lead to breathing problems.
• Vocal cord lesions are benign (noncancerous) growths — such as nodules, polyps or cysts — that can affect your voice.
• Vocal cord paralysis prevents you from controlling your voice box muscles.

Who gets voice disorders?

Anyone can develop a voice disorder, but certain factors increase your risk:

• Age and sex: Being a woman (or assigned female at birth) over 50.
• Lifestyle: Smoking, drug addiction or alcohol abuse can damage your lungs, larynx and vocal cords.
• Occupation: Teachers, singers, telemarketers and other people with professions that require a lot of speaking or voice use.
• Other diseases and disorders: Having Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), laryngeal cancer or laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).

How common are voice disorders?

Between 3% and 9% of the U.S. population have a voice disorder at some time, though less than 1% of these people seek treatment. Teachers are by far the most at-risk population. In one study of nearly a thousand teachers, about 57% had a voice disorder.