XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, alt.politics.republicans, alt.politics.democrats.d
XPost: talk.politics.misc

What causes RFK Jr.'s strained and shaky voice? A neurologist explains
this little-known disorder
The Conversation
Indu Subramanian, University of California, Los Angeles
Thu, May 1, 2025 at 7:45 AM CDT
6 min read

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has attracted
a lot of attention for his raspy voice, which results from a
neurological voice disorder called spasmodic dysphonia.

Kennedy, 71, says that in his 40s he developed a neurological disease
that robbed him of his strong speaking voice. Kennedy first publicly
spoke of the quiver he had noticed in his voice in a 2004 interview
with journalist Diane Rehm, who also had spasmodic dysphonia.

In 2005, Kennedy was receiving shots of botulinum toxin, the neurotoxin
that is now used in Botox as well as to treat migraines and other
conditions, every four months. This first-line treatment for dysphonia
helps to weaken the vocal folds that contract abnormally with this
condition. He used botulinum toxin injections for 10 years and then
stopped using them, saying they "were not a good fit" for him.

Kennedy initially developed symptoms while in the public eye teaching
at Pace University in New York. Some viewers wrote to him suggesting
that he had the condition spasmodic dysphonia and that he should
contact a well-known expert on the disease, Dr. Andrew Blitzer. He
followed this advice and had the diagnosis confirmed.

I am a movement disorders neurologist and have long been passionate
about the psychological and social toll that conditions such as
dysphonias have on my patients.

Types of dysphonias

In North America, an estimated 50,000 people have spasmodic dysphonia.
The condition involves the involuntary pulling of the muscles that open
and close the vocal folds, causing the voice to sound strained and
strangled, at times with a breathy quality. About 30% to 60% of people
with the condition also experience vocal tremor, which can alter the
sound of the voice.

Typically, a neurologist may suspect the disorder by identifying
characteristic voice breaks when the patients is speaking. The
diagnosis is confirmed with the help of an ear, nose and throat
specialist who can insert a small scope into the larynx, examine the
vocal folds and rule out any other abnormalities.

Because the disorder is not well known to the public, many patients
experience a delay in diagnosis and may be misdiagnosed with gastric
reflux or allergies.

The most common type of spasmodic dysphonia is called adductor
dysphonia, which accounts for 80% of cases. It is characterized by a
strained or strangled voice quality with abrupt breaks on vowels due to
the vocal folds being hyperadducted, or abnormally closed.

In contrast, a form of the condition called abductor dysphonia causes a
breathy voice with breaks on consonants due to uncontrolled abduction
meaning coming apart of the vocal folds.

more at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/causes-rfk-jr-strained-shaky-124543666.html

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)