Spasmodic dysphonia is a voice disorder that makes it difficult for the person to communicate with others. The disorder is mainly due to the movement of the larynx muscles. It is involuntary movement that causes spasm and the word may not come out as intended. This disorder is mainly found in the age group of 35-50 and affects women more than men. In this disorder, the voice breaks or has a strained and strangled quality. It seems someone has pressed the throat and therefore the voice is breaking.
Causes of spasmodic dysphonia:
There is no specific cause of spasmodic dysphonia. It was earlier thought as a psychogenic disorder but was later it was confirmed as a neurogenic disorder. The spasmodic dysphonia may occur simultaneously with blespharospasm, tremors etc. the chromosome 9 may be responsible for spasmodic dysphonia   which is inherited or run in the families. In some case physiological injuries can also cause spasmodic dysphonia. Any infection of upper respiratory tract, stress, larynx injury or extensive period of voice use can cause spasmodic dysphonia.
Types of the disorder:
There are mainly three types of spasmodic dysphonia namely, Adductor Spasmodic dysphonia, Abductor Spasmodic dysphonia and mixed dysphonia.
· Adductor spasmodic dysphonia- The involuntary movement of muscles or spasm causes vocal folds to close and stiffen.  Due to the spasms the vocal folds can’t vibrate and thus the voice is not produced. Words are difficult to start or get cut off in between making the speech choppy which sounds like stuttering. But the spasms are not found at the time of whispering, laughing, and speaking at a high pitch. Spasms are more if there is stress.
· Abductor spasmodic dysphonia: When the vocal folds are left open due to sudden spasm of the muscles. Thus the vocal folds can’t vibrate and produce sound. The air passes through the open vocal folds during the speech. The voice sound quiet, weak or whispery. The spasms don’t occur during singing or laughing.
· Mixed spasmodic dysphonia:  This type has both the features of adductor and abductor. The spasms can both open and close the vocal folds and as such the voice may not be produced.

Treatment of spasmodic dysphonia:
As the cause is not known, the treatment is also not available for complete cure. There is operation that inserts a cut in the laryngeal nerve so that voice is produced. There are some promising treatments found by using very small amount of injection of botulinum toxin which are directly put into the affected larynx muscles. This is also a temporary condition where the voice will be there for a few months and again the symptoms return.
The spasmodic dysphonia is a condition that needs a proper care at home. The job counseling and psychological counseling can bring a respite from the spasmodic dysphonia

Filed under: Ear nose throat disorders

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!