New symptoms of RA

Hi, ! I'm glad you reached out with a question to the community. Unfortunately, RA can most definitely affect one's voice and throat. That said, if this is a new or worsening symptom for you, we always recommend talking to your doctor, just to be safe. And also, it's good to make sure there isn't a different underlying cause besides RA. I know it can be easy to blame everything on RA, but getting a new symptom checked out by your doctor is always a good idea. One of our contributors shared her experience with throat issues and voice hoarseness in this piece -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/a-hoarse-of-a-different-color and it triggered a good discussion amongst our community members in the comments following the piece.


I hope you also get input from other community members familiar with these issues.


Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions; we're happy to help in any way we can!


Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.

I had problems with my voice for almost a year. they did the scope and found nothing, then another and found a small nodule on the cords. Who knew at that time it would be a warning sign. My doctor's told me not to talk and to let it heal on its own. It finally did, and my voice came back, but it was a red flag No one caught.

Wow, I never connected my bouts of hoarseness to RA, but I will for sure be asking my doctor about it! This round started just before Thankgiving & has really not improved. Kind of a bummer since I like to sing with the Christmas songs on the radio. 😀 It also makes sense since NO ONE around me has it, so it doesn't seem like I caught a seasonal bug. Weird.

I have had hoarseness and lost my voice for a week beginning in February. It took me 3 months to see an ent and she said I had GERD and gave me pills. My larynx was red but no nodules seen on scoping my throat. The pills did not help or eliminating the food. I was sent to a GI specialist. He said it was due to my being older (74) as the sputum gets thick. He did a consult online and said he’d scope my stomach but it wouldn’t help. He said to chew gum. I have gargled with salt water and baking soda. Nothing helps. I guess I am not the only one with RA and laryngitis. I miss singing so much.