Morgan and Rigby share five things to know about hoarseness of unclear origin in adults. Hoarseness is a common cause of primary care visits In primary care, 1% of visits are for hoarseness, most commonly selflimited laryngitis. However, laryngeal cancers account for 1% to 2% of principal diagnoses associated with hoarseness. Primary care providers often treat chronic hoarseness of unclear origin empirically. Sixty-four percent of primary care providers who responded to a US survey reported that they treated chronic hoarseness of unknown cause medically, despite a lack of evidence for this practice. The most common medications they prescribed in this context were antireflux agents, antihistamines and antibiotics. This practice should be avoided as it can delay the diagnosis of serious disease.