Hoarse for more than three weeks? Mention it

If your voice has sounded breathy, raspy or strained for more than three weeks, NIH's National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders says to see your doctor, especially if you have not had a cold or the flu. A hoarse voice can also be softer or lower in pitch, and your throat might feel scratchy. NIDCD says hoarseness is often a symptom of problems in the vocal folds, two bands of smooth muscle tissue in the larynx that vibrate to produce sound.

NIDCD lists other reasons to get checked: coughing up blood, difficulty swallowing, a lump in the neck, pain when speaking or swallowing, difficulty breathing, or losing your voice completely for more than a few days.

Much hoarseness is temporary. Cheering at a game, speaking loudly in a noisy place, talking too long without rest or singing loudly can all cause it, NIDCD says. Your doctor will ask about your health history and how long you have been hoarse, and in some cases might recommend special tests of voice irregularities or vocal airflow.

The three-week mark matters because hoarseness may sometimes be a symptom of laryngeal cancer, NIDCD says, which is why it urges a visit to the doctor when hoarseness lasts that long. If you use your voice for work and are often hoarse, your doctor might suggest voice therapy with a speech-language pathologist.