I know of a woman who lost her voice suddenly, but can laugh and cough normally. What could be the problem?
From your description, the woman appears to be having functional aphonia (i.e., loss of voice in the absence of any anatomical defect in the voice box). Such persons can be helped to regain voice, by voice therapy and counseling. However, an ENT surgeon has to examine the person before voice therapy can be initiated. There are also other conditions such as paralysis of the vocal folds and severe throat infection, which lead to loss of voice.
