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If your voice becomes hoarse, weak, or disappears altogether, laryngitis is a common reason.
“Laryngitis simply means inflammation of the larynx, which is also known as the voice box,” says Michael Lerner, MD, a Yale Medicine laryngologist, a physician who specializes in disorders of the voice. “The larynx contains the vocal cords, which are very delicate. When they become inflamed, they swell and stiffen, making it hard to produce a normal-sounding voice.”
In most cases, laryngitis—inflammation of the larynx—is temporary and improves with rest and basic self-care. But when symptoms last longer than a few weeks or are accompanied by pain or breathing difficulty, medical evaluation is important.
