Difficulty with the voice is often the first manifestation of systemic disease. Because of this, familiarity with laryngeal manifestation of systemic disease is important not only for otolaryngologists and phoniatrists, but also for family practitioners, internists, medical students, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse clinicians, speech-language pathologists, singing voice specialists, acting voice specialists, voice teachers, and others entrusted with the care, education, and health of the human voice.

This book is intended for all such professionals, and for patients, particularly professional voice users, who want to know as much as possible about their instrument and conditions that might affect it adversely.