A raspy voice, maybe not just aging...If it lasts more than two weeks, go to the hospital
Jun 25, 2025
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The vocal cords, like other organs of the human body, age and age. As the muscles that move the vocal cords atrophy and the vocal cord mucosa that cause vibration become thinner, the vocal cords are not completely closed during vocalization, causing air leakage and 'rest voice'.
Medical 'Presbyphonia' refers to a phenomenon in which vocal cord vibration weakens and vocalization becomes difficult due to atrophy of vocal cord muscles and regression of the lamina propria. In addition to the husky voice, it is accompanied by symptoms such as ▲ fatigue when speaking ▲ difficulty making loud sounds ▲ poor voice power. In particular, these changes can occur before the age of 60 in some cases, which can act as a major communication obstacle even for middle-aged and active social activities.
The aging of the vocal cords occurs in both men and women, but the pattern is somewhat different. Men's voices rest due to atrophy of vocal cord muscles, making it difficult to vocalize, and women often turn into mid-to-low-pitched voices due to the relative increase in testosterone, a male hormone, after menopause.
◇ Need to distinguish it from other diseases such as resting voice and early vocal cord cancer
The problem is that the husky voice caused by senile vocal disorder and the husky voice caused by other diseases such as vocal cord nodules, vocal cord polyps, vocal cord paralysis, and early vocal cord cancer are not distinguished by simply listening to the voice. Therefore, if your voice lasts for more than two weeks, you should not pass it over to simple aging, but check the cause with the help of an expert.
Lee Seung-won, professor of otolaryngology at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, an expert in voice surgery, said "If the resting voice lasts for more than two weeks, vocal cord observation through laryngeal endoscopy is necessary. This allows early detection of other structural abnormalities such as early vocal cord cancer, vocal cord polyps, and vocal cord nodules," he stressed.
◇ When left unattended, it causes depression and social isolation...Treatment with vocal cord infusion, etc
If left unattended, senile vocal disorder can cause great difficulty in communication and lead to depression or social isolation. However, with proper treatment, you can fully recover. Treatment focuses on restoring the function of atrophic vocal cord muscles and thinned mucous membranes.
The main treatments include ▲negative rehabilitation treatment ▲ vocal cord infusion ▲ vocal cord growth factor infusion. 'Voice Rehabilitation' optimizes remaining vocal cord function through vocal and breathing training. 'Sungdae infusion' is an injection treatment that helps the atrophic vocal cords close well, and 'Sungdae growth factor infusion' is an injection treatment that helps the regeneration of the atrophic vocal cord mucosa and vocal cord muscles. The customized treatment is determined according to the condition of the patient's vocal cords and the degree of atrophy.
Life management methods to prevent raspy voices include ▲not speaking loudly for a long time ▲Drink more than 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day to prevent drying of the mucous membrane of the vocal cords ▲Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake ▲ Avoid coughing habit of 'coughing' In particular, smoking, dry and dusty environments, and singing loudly should be avoided.
Professor Lee Seung-won advised, "'Restless voices may be a simple aging phenomenon, but they may be symptoms caused by other diseases, so if the voice change persists for a long time, it is better to consult an expert and get help.'"
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
