And it’s also something that may not start coming up until they start to heal from their other symptoms and find themselves hoarse if that is the one symptom that persists.” How do you treat your COVID-19 hoarse voice? “Partly that’s because the main concern is focused on other symptoms. “In a lot of cases, the hoarse voice isn’t evident or a big part of their illness,” he says. Khabbaza says that, for many, it may not even be a very prevalent issue during the course of your illness. Can you prevent a hoarse voice with COVID-19?Īs with other illnesses, there’s not much you can do to prevent the development of “COVID-19 voice” or other throat and vocal cord problems. That can cause some lingering vocal cord issues for some time,” he says. “If you’re put on a ventilator, you already have to deal with the other symptoms plus having a plastic tube go through your vocal cords for up to several weeks in extreme cases. In severe cases of COVID-19, you can be put on a ventilator which can cause issues with your vocal cords when you recover. “That can also cause additional sensations of breathlessness and coughing which perpetuates this cycle of irritation.” Ventilators “If the vagus nerve isn’t working well, the vocal cords may not work the way they are supposed to and may stay closed when they should open,” he says. He notes a study that explored how COVID-19 might cause damage to the vagus nerve which, in turn, can cause long-lasting damage to the vocal cords. Khabbaza points out that any nerve in the upper airway can be affected by inflammation caused by a virus. The infection can reside on the vocal cords, causing additional irritation. Those who receive steroids, particularly those with other immune issues, can also develop thrush, a fungal infection that develops in the mouth and throat. Steroids, he says, can lead to increased acid reflux which, in turn, causes a direct acid chemical irritation of your throat and vocal cords. “For patients who get COVID-19 and have a more severe case, one of the treatments is dexamethasone, which is a steroid,” he notes. Additional COVID-19 factorsĬoughing isn’t the only COVID-19 symptom, though, that can affect your vocal cords and, consequently, your voice. This can affect the pitch and depth of your voice, causing it to sound raspy or even reducing it to just a whisper. That inflammation affects the flexibility of those vocal cords, making them swollen and stiff. The larynx, also known as the voice box, is an organ in your throat that houses the vocal cords, two flaps of tissue that move to allow breathing and vibrate to help you speak. Specifically, coughing can cause inflammation in the larynx. “You already have an inflamed throat and vocal cords from the infection and then the secondary coughing that occurs can be quite violent and further irritating.” “When an upper respiratory tract infection affects the lungs, like COVID-19, you’re going to be coughing even more,” he continues. “The virus itself causes inflammation,” he says, “but it’s a lot of the secondary symptoms that worsen what’s going on.” Laryngitis can occur with any of those viruses.”ĬOVID-19, though, takes that one step further. “Any upper respiratory tract infection is going to cause inflammation of the upper airway,” says Dr. But that symptom has its roots in other consequences of the COVID-19 virus. Some COVID-19 patients report their voices going hoarse as the virus takes its course. What causes a hoarse voice with COVID-19? Pulmonary and critical care doctor Joseph Khabbaza, MD, tells us what to know about this particular symptom and why it deserves your attention. And while being hoarse may not seem like a big deal, there’s the possibility of lingering damage as with other COVID-19 symptoms. While the idea of the virus affecting your voice may seem a bit of a stretch, it happens as a result of other issues that the virus can cause. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.
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