In line with its mission, the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony makes every effort to provide reliable medical content supported by the latest scientific knowledge. The additional flag “Checked Content” indicates that the article has been reviewed by or written directly by a physician. This two-step verification: a medical journalist and a doctor allows us to provide the highest quality content in line with current medical knowledge.
Our commitment in this area has been appreciated, among others, by by the Association of Journalists for Health, which awarded the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony with the honorary title of the Great Educator.
Dysarthria (Greek: «dys» – difficulty, difficult, severe, «arthrosis» – articulation) is a speech disorder consisting in improper articulation caused by abnormalities in the development of the speech motor apparatus. Dysarthria occurs in the event of inadequate development of the mobility of the structures of the mouth, palate, throat and neck, which may also be associated with difficulties in eating, swallowing food and drooling.
Dyzartria impedes articulation, the speech of a person suffering from this disorder may seem slurred, the tone of the voice is unpleasant, and the sound resembles the voice of a cold person, due to difficulties in modulating the sound, which is formed incorrectly due to abnormalities in the structure of the speech organ. In dysarthria the pace and volume of speaking may be disturbed, the manner of expression may be affected by the difficulty of communicating in general.
Despite the fact that dyzartria not always associated with a mental or developmental disability, even a mentally fit person affected by this condition is sometimes perceived as a disabled person.
Affected people dysarthria they often have difficulties in finding their place in society, problems with learning and acceptance by the peer group in kindergarten and school, and in adult life difficulties with finding a job, partner and communication due to the fact that their speech is incomprehensible and slurred. This condition often causes withdrawal from society, fearfulness, and in many cases it leads to isolation and chronic depression and antisociality.
The causes of dysarthria
The cause of the occurrence dysarthria there may be damage to the structures of the brain or the nervous system causing speech dysfunction in connection with impaired speech motor apparatus.
The cause of the occurrence dysarthria it may be Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Tay-Sachs disease, Wilson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dyzartria it can also be caused by a head injury, increased intracranial pressure and tumors of the central nervous system. Dyzartria It may appear as a result of Lyme disease, and also in people who take drugs or sedatives, as a result of disorders of the nervous system caused by the action of these substances.
Dyzartria it can occur temporarily or as a result of an injury and permanently paralyze the functioning of the speech motor.
Types of dysarthria
Dyzartria it occurs in several varieties, distinguished by differences in the clinical picture of the disease and the part of the nervous system damaged as a result of this disorder.
- Mixed dysarthria occurs when lesions occur in several parts of the nervous system or the brain simultaneously.
- Spastic dysarthria occurs when the cortico-nuclear tract is damaged bilaterally.
- Atactic dysarthria is caused by damage to the cerebellum.
- Hypokinetic and hyperkinetic dysarthria is caused by damage to the extrapyramidal system.
- Flaccid dysarthria results from damage to the V, VII, IX, X, XII intracranial nerves or the nerves of the testicles in the brain.
Diagnosis of dysarthria
Diagnosis dysarthria is carried out on the basis of research into the cause of the speech disorder, which, if it occurs suddenly, may be symptom serious diseases or even life-threatening conditions. Usually, imaging examinations are performed: computed tomography of the head, whole-body magnetic resonance imaging and EMG examination. Blood and urine tests as well as lumbar puncture are also performed to collect the cerebrospinal fluid for laboratory analysis. Imaging tests are designed to detect a possible tumor outbreak, for example a brain tumor pressing on nerves.
A series is also carried out speech research the patient, consisting in observation during activities such as reading aloud, blowing out candles, making tongue movements, sticking out the tongue, singing, counting, making sounds, lip movements.
Treatment of dysarthria
Dyzartria arises as a result of impaired activity of the mobile speech apparatus due to impaired nerve function, therefore, manner treatment it depends on the cause of the disorder. Effects of the same dysarthria can be soothed with appropriate exercises with a specialist in speech therapy or neurology. Speech improvement exercises in case of dysarthria they consist in strengthening the muscles involved in the process of producing speech. Exercises for those affected dysarthria they also include learning how to pronounce words slowly and clearly and controlling breathing patterns to help influence the loudness and efficiency of speech.