Hoarseness in the throat - causes, medications and traditional methods of treatment

Hoarse voice: what to do and how to quickly restore it?

Hoarseness of the voice is characterized by its change to a duller, rougher and lower voice.

It is an external sign of many diseases.

Due to the influence of pathogenic causes, the vocal cords change their shape and function, they become long, thickened and uneven.

The more irregularities in the ligaments, the correspondingly more hoarseness in the voice.

In medicine, the condition of a hoarse voice is identified as one of the types of dysphonia.

If the factors that influenced its occurrence are not identified in time, hoarseness will intensify until temporary loss of voice.

1. Causes of hoarse voice
2. Symptoms of a hoarse voice
3. Diagnosis of hoarse voice
4. Hoarse voice in infants
5. Treatment for hoarse voice
6. Treatment of pregnant women for hoarse voice
7. Prevention of hoarse voice

Causes of hoarse voice

Factors influencing the occurrence of a hoarse voice directly indicate existing pathological processes in the vocal cords or closure of the vocal laryngeal lumen.

In turn, these manifestations can be caused by several reasons:

• Diseases of an inflammatory and bacterial nature. Laryngitis, flu, tonsillitis are accompanied by high fever, pain in the throat, soreness and itching. Diseases caused by candida and pneumonia are manifested by a dry cough and fever;
• Toxic effect. Most often, chemical damage occurs due to exposure to ammonia and chlorine. Damage to the respiratory system can occur when cleaning products containing these components are used at home. Signs appear: dry cough, spasms and swelling of the airways. They are characteristic of chlorine intoxication. If the poisoning is associated with ammonia, chest pain, wet cough with mucus, and throat irritation will immediately follow. Fluoride vapor will cause lacrimation, cough and runny nose;
• Allergic manifestations. Hoarseness occurs within a short period of time after exposure to an allergen. Swelling of the larynx occurs, which, in turn, leads to difficulty breathing and suffocation. Accompanied by cyanosis of the skin;
• Endocrine diseases. Changes in the functioning of the thyroid gland provoke the appearance of neoplasms and tissue swelling. Particularly noticeable is pale and dry skin, lethargy;
• Excessive ligament tension. Regular impact on the vocal cords due to professional activities. The professions of announcers, lecturers are all those who need to talk a lot;
• Bad habits. Hoarseness in the voice appears from the irritating influence of nicotine and tar, which contributes to swelling of the throat. Alcohol causes coarsening of the ligaments and, as a consequence, the appearance of hoarseness;
• Chemical burn. Damage to the mucous tissue in the throat occurs due to exposure to acetic acid and ethyl alcohol;
• Heartburn. This disease can cause hoarseness in the voice. With heartburn, gastric juice refluxes into the larynx, where damage to the mucous membrane occurs, similar to a chemical burn;
• Formations of malignant and benign nature. As the tumor increases in size, the capillaries are compressed and the structure of the ligaments changes. Benign tumors are most often diagnosed in men; hoarseness appears in the voice, accompanied by a cough. As they increase in size, they cause suffocation and complete loss of voice. Malignant tumors contribute to persistent hoarseness, with no signs of improvement. As the tumor grows, pain increases, and over time, the voice finally disappears;
• Ligament injuries. They occur during surgical interventions on the thyroid gland. This damages the recurrent nerve. The resulting hoarseness remains for life.

What to do if your voice is hoarse

The main way to treat hoarseness is to eliminate its original causes. The first step is to consult a medical specialist. Issues related to dysphonia are dealt with by doctors such as a phoniatrist and an otolaryngologist.

Traditional medicine offers the following treatment options:

1. Regardless of the reasons for hoarseness, silence is mandatory. This will provide relaxation and rest to the vocal cords and will help quickly restore your voice.
2. For inflammation of the larynx, anti-inflammatory drugs are recommended: lozenges, sprays, medicinal lozenges. Disinfectants are often taken (for example, Miramistin, Lugol spray).
3. If the occurrence of hoarseness is associated with infections, antiviral drugs are prescribed (Kagocel, Rimantadine). Antibiotics are also recommended, but this measure is used in extreme cases.

It is important to take any medications strictly as prescribed by the doctor, following the instructions for the drug regarding the duration and order of taking the medication. Often patients interrupt treatment after feeling the first improvements, which leads to the return of the disease, but as a chronic one.

If the voice is hoarse due to an allergic reaction, the allergen must be eliminated, as well as the patient's direct contact with it.

Traditional medicine has a wide range of methods for treating hoarseness. However, before trying to restore your voice using unconventional means, it is recommended to consult with a specialist, since the same methods may be effective for some people, but completely contraindicated for others.

• Steam inhalation using essential oils or medicinal herbs. It is recommended to use chamomile, thyme, and calendula. In addition to dysphonia, inhalations will help cure cough. If your throat hurts, it is recommended to gargle it with a decoction of the same herbs.
• Anise infusion to treat hoarseness. Cook for fifteen minutes. The proportions are as follows: 50 grams of anise seeds are added to 250 grams of water. Warm decoction is taken every half hour, a tablespoon orally.
• Bran soothes ligaments, relieves hoarseness, and provides relief if the throat hurts. They are prepared like a decoction: add bran (150 grams) to one liter of boiling water, stir, turn off the heat, and leave to infuse for a quarter of an hour. Use instead of tea.

In addition to medications and folk remedies, treatment of dysphonia is often carried out using special gymnastics. If the phenomenon becomes irreversible, doctors recommend safe surgery on the ligaments.

Diagnosis of hoarse voice

To establish the reasons that influenced the change in voice, the following research methods are used:

1. Laryngoscopy – allows you to examine the internal structure of the throat and identify damaged areas;
2. CT scan. It allows you to diagnose a tumor that is compressing the vocal cords. This study is not conducted for pregnant women and children;
3. Ultrasound – used when there is a suspicion of large formations that put pressure on the larynx.

Folk remedies at home

Folk remedies, along with medications, are recommended to be used only with the permission of a doctor, but their advantage is that they can be used at home from the first day.

They will help soften the throat, relieve irritation and pain, but if the true cause of the disorder is not known, they are often ineffective.

However, it's still worth a try.

Here are some proven recipes :

• Dissolve 1 tbsp in a glass of warm milk. l. freshly squeezed carrot juice and honey , mix and drink at night. The next day the procedure can be repeated.
• Grind a large freshly cut aloe leaf using a blender and add 1 tsp. honey. The mixture must be absorbed (like candy) up to 5-6 times a day.
• Beat 2 egg yolks with sugar (2 tbsp) and consume morning and evening. After 2-3 days, the voice is usually restored (of course, in the absence of a serious illness).

Hoarse voice in a child

Hoarseness in infants, in general, is caused by the same reasons as in adults, but there are still signs characteristic only of this age:

• Scream. Ligaments overloaded due to prolonged screaming and tiny bubbles formed in the tissues contribute to hoarseness;
• Throat cyst. At the initial stage of development, neoplasms do not cause clinical manifestations, but as they grow, changes occur in vocal function, manifested by hoarseness and difficulty breathing;
• Foreign objects.
• Dysphonia is functional. If no anatomical abnormalities are detected, then functional dysphonia is assumed, which is determined by the inability to use the vocal apparatus.

If hoarseness suddenly appears, you should suspect that the child has:

• Reduction of the lumen of the larynx, which occurs against the background of Quincke's edema;
• Stenosing laryngotracheitis. The influence of the virus causes an accelerated appearance of swelling of the larynx, so breathing problems appear in a short time. Exacerbation occurs during night sleep. Additionally, a hoarse cough, noisy breathing, and pale skin are observed.

If the child's voice has changed due to screaming, then treatment consists of frequent breastfeeding.

When crying loudly, it is necessary to calm the baby quickly to prevent overstrain of the vocal cords.

Treatment with medications is prescribed after consultation with a therapist.

How to restore your voice?

Before restoring a missing voice, it is necessary to find out the reason for its absence.

Then it will become clear what exactly needs to be treated and how.

To do this, you should contact an otorhinolaryngologist (ENT) as soon as possible and undergo the appropriate examinations. Perhaps the problem with the voice arose due to progressive cancer.

For your information! In other cases (when the problem is clear and completely solvable), you can either independently or under the guidance of a doctor (the second option is preferable) to take a number of the following actions:

• Start drug therapy.
• Carry out inhalations.
• Perform special gymnastics.
• Use proven folk remedies, etc.

After consulting with your doctor, you can simultaneously combine different types of therapy (for example, taking medications and exercise, etc.).

Treatment for hoarse voice

How to restore a hoarse voice
In carrying out therapeutic measures, it is important to reliably establish the factors that caused hoarseness, since the treatment regimen depends on them.

But the basic rule for any etiology is silence.

The gentle vocal load depends on the form of the disease.

If hoarseness is caused by pathologies of an inflammatory and infectious nature, then therapy includes:

• Disease caused by a virus – antiviral drugs;
• Bacterial form – antibiotics;
• Fungal nature – antifungal drugs.

In addition to the above therapy, you will need treatment with antihistamines that reduce laryngeal edema.

Antiseptics are used locally to wash away pathogenic microflora.

If the cause of hoarseness is allergic, the source of the allergen is excluded and antihistamines are used.

In case of a severe allergic reaction, glucocorticosteroids are indicated.

If neoplasms are detected, surgical treatment is prescribed.

Medications used for hoarseness

One of the proven remedies is ascorbic acid and softening lozenges.

Other drugs include:

• Antiseptics for local treatment with iodine (Yox, Iodinol);
• Antiseptics containing chlorine (Miromestin, Corsodil);
• Natural antiseptics (calendula tincture);
• Absorbable lozenges (Adjisept, Travesil);
• Preparations for inhalation (Cameton).

Additional procedures in complex treatment with medications also provide good results.

These include the following techniques:

• Phonopedia – breathing exercises;
• Physiotherapy: electrophoresis, therapeutic baths;
• Massage.

What to do with laryngitis?

Note! In the case of laryngitis, it is first necessary to find out the cause of the disease (infection, allergy, injury, etc.).

So, if laryngitis occurs due to a bacterial or viral infection, then self-medication is strictly contraindicated (only under the supervision of a specialist).

If the cause is overstrain of the ligaments, then you can use the following recipes:

Milk and sage

Pour a glass of milk into an enamel container and add 2 tsp. sage.

Bring the product to a boil, cool for a few minutes and boil again.

Strain and drink warm (at night). Perform 3-4 days in a row.

Cognac with honey

Need to know! Mix buckwheat honey, cognac and vegetable oil (1 tsp each).

Take at night. Course of treatment: 4-5 procedures.

Treatment of pregnant women for hoarse voice

When treating diseases that cause hoarseness, independent choice of medications and treatment is prohibited.

It is also recommended to observe:

• Moderate vocal stress;
• Good nutrition;
• Drink plenty of fluids.

If there is an elevated temperature of 38 degrees, then antipyretics (Paracetamol) are used.

Treatment with medications includes:

• interferon preparations (Grippferon);
• absorbable tablets (Faringosept);
• local treatment of the throat (Hexoral);
• rinsing with furatsilin solution.

Prevention of voice during colds

• Maintaining vocal rest
  is the main condition for recovery. Avoid talking even in a whisper, as this strains the vocal cords as if shouting loudly. It is better to limit communication for a while or write notes and mobile messages.
• Humidify the air in your home
  (you can use a household humidifier for this), try to breathe only through your nose. Replace medications that cause dryness with analogues. Tie your neck with a scarf made of natural material.
• Quit smoking, including passive smoking.
  Avoid public smoking areas and do not stay in dusty areas.
• Drink enough fluid.
  Drinks should be warm or at room temperature. Avoid drinking coffee or tea as these also cause dry throat.
• It is better to treat the throat with spray irrigation rather than gargling.
  Regular gargling with its typical guttural sound injures the inflamed ligaments.
• No aspirin.
  Aspirin should not be taken as an antipyretic; it can cause microscopic effusions of blood into the mucous membrane of the larynx and ligaments.
• Tricky way.
  At the first signs of laryngitis, when you return home, you need to do the following procedure - immerse your hands up to the elbows in a container of hot water for 15 minutes. After this, drink a glass of milk with honey and go to bed. In the morning, the health situation should change for the better.

All of the above measures will help speed up the recovery of health and preserve your voice.

A little about the problem

Hoarseness (hoarseness) is a condition when the vocal cords cannot work at full capacity.
The sounds made by a person are accompanied by hissing, wheezing, and whistling. Partial loss of voice is called dysphonia, and complete loss is called aphonia. If treatment is not started in a timely manner, there is a risk of being left without a voice for life.

The loss of the ability to speak is accompanied by a sore throat, a feeling that there is something extra in it.

This condition is in some cases associated with ligament spasm. They connect and remain in that position. A person cannot reproduce sounds.

In order to know how to treat a hoarse voice and how, you need to determine the cause of this disease. Most often, infections and inflammatory processes occurring in the larynx lead to pathology. This causes swelling of the vocal cords. They cannot close completely, which causes hoarseness, hoarseness or loss of voice altogether.

Medication recommendations

1. Pills

It is impossible to cope only with folk remedies if your voice is hoarse after a cold. How to treat correctly? Comprehensively: medication to get rid of the problem plus recipes from the people.

• If there is no fever, inhalations will help. They can be made with essential oils, potatoes, and onions. Take two liters of water. The main ingredient is added to it. Everything is brought to a boil. The steam must be inhaled. The procedure lasts about twenty minutes and is carried out before bedtime.
• Gogol-mogol. One or two eggs are broken. The yolk is separated from the white. Place the yolk in a blender, add a tablespoon of sugar, and beat until smooth. Add two tablespoons of honey and the same amount of warm milk to the mixture. Drink no more than two glasses a day.
• How to treat a hoarse voice for a nursing mother? This recipe is perfect: one glass of warm milk with a spoon of honey. You should not abuse this remedy. It can only be consumed if the baby is not allergic to honey.

In addition to the above recipes, you must follow the following recommendations: drink a lot of warm liquid, give preference to herbal teas, talk a little and rest more.