Dysarthria
Dysarthria is a disease in which the speech muscles are weak or the patient has difficulty in voluntary control of the speech muscles. Dysarthria is often characterized by slurred or slow speech that is difficult to understand
The main causes of dysarthria are neurological: stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumors, and conditions that cause facial paralysis or weakness of the tongue and throat muscles. Some medications also cause dysarthria
Treatment of dysarthria is aimed at the underlying cause, if it exists You may need speech therapy to improve pronunciation Drug-induced dysarthria will stop when the patient stops taking these drugs
With dysarthria, it may be difficult to control the muscles of the mouth, face, or upper respiratory tract involved in speech. Diseases that cause dysarthria:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Traumatic brain injury
- Brain tumor
- Cerebral palsy
- Guillen-Barré syndrome
- Traumatic head
Symptoms of dysarthria are different and depend on the cause and form of dysarthria Symptoms:
- Slurred speech
- Slow speech
- Limited to speaking louder than a whisper or speaking very loudly
- Rapid speech that is difficult to understand
- Hoarse or nasally speaking
- Irregular speech rhythm
Be sure to consult your doctor if you experience sudden and unexpected changes in your speech
