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What is spasmodic dysphonia, the condition affecting RFK Jr.’s voice?
RFK Jr., the nominee for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shared earlier this year that he has a voice problem called spasmodic dysphonia, which causes his voice to sound “terrible.” According to doctors, this neurological condition is a vocal disorder that affects the muscles of the voice box and can make a person’s speech sound tight, strained, or breathy. Read on to know the details.
The condition causes a person’s sound-producing muscles to go into a period of spasm, and RFK Jr. has suffered from it for nearly three decades.
Robert F. Kennedy says what he calls his “terrible” voice is due to a condition called spasmodic dysphonia – a neurological disorder that affects your voice and speech. Although it is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s sound-producing muscles to go into periods of spasm, RFK has suffered from it for nearly three decades.
Earlier this year, in an article published in Los Angeles TimesThe current nominee to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said he “can’t stand” his voice. The 70-year-old added, “My voice doesn’t get tired, but the injury is neurological, so in fact, the more I use my voice, the stronger it becomes.” He added, “If I could sound better, I would.”
RFK’s voice began to change in 1996
Kennedy said he first noticed a change in his voice in 1996 when he was 42 years old. Although he acknowledges that there is no evidence that the flu vaccine contributed to his spasmodic dysphonia, Kennedy said that he views the vaccine as “at least a possible culprit.”
What is spasmodic dysphonia?,
According to experts, spasmodic dysphonia is a rare speech disorder that affects your vocal cords, causing your voice to change and sound very different from what it was originally. Your voice may break, sound tight and strained, or even sound very breathy and heavy.
This disorder makes it very difficult for people to understand what you are saying, can cause anxiety, and makes you uncomfortable when you are talking, especially in a large group of people. Doctors say there is no cure for spasmodic dysphonia, but there are treatments that ease your symptoms.
Across the United States, spasmodic dysphonia affects about 500,000 people, mostly women, who are more likely than men to have the condition. Although it can begin at any age, spasmodic dysphonia usually begins between the ages of 30 and 60.
Signs and Symptoms of Spasmodic Dysphonia
According to experts, spasmodic dysphonia can completely change the way your voice works and sounds. Even though symptoms develop slowly, people with the condition describe their voices as:
- breathy, soft, or as if they are whispering
- tense and tight
- hoarse
- broken because some sounds are cut off while speaking
- wavering and trembling
What causes spasmodic dysphonia?,
Doctors say it’s a neurological issue that according to studies starts in your basal ganglia – an area of the brain that helps coordinate your body’s movements. While the problem begins when the muscles in your larynx or voice box – which includes your vocal cords – go into spasm, they tighten the strings, making your voice strained.
When your vocal cords are separated, your voice sounds breathy. Experts don’t know what exactly causes these cramps. However, several studies have also pointed to genetic traits that make some people more prone to developing spasmodic dysphonia, and that others may have central nervous system injury, increasing the risk of the condition.
Can the flu vaccine cause spasmodic dysphonia?
Even though RFK has said he is not ruling out the flu vaccine as the cause of his condition, scientists say they have no evidence showing any connection between the two.
According to statistics, the condition does not worsen in people who have taken the flu vaccine.
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