Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
This article will explore some causes of aphonia, discuss how it is diagnosed, and discuss what you can do to overcome this condition.
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Types of Aphonia
Types of aphonia include functional aphonia andpsychogenicaphonia, though both are thought to derive from the same underlying causes.
Functional aphonia occurs when an individual experiences challenges using their larynx (voice box) and diaphragm (the muscle responsible for breathing) to produce speech without identifiable physical or neurological problems.
Psychogenic aphonia occurs when a person loses their voice in response to a psychologically stressful or traumatic event.
What Causes Aphonia?
Some cases of aphonia have developed after an upper respiratory tract infection or repeated laryngitis, but these infections may be incidental rather than causative. Most of the time, it is a stressful or traumatic life event that triggers aphonia.
This condition is considered rare, affecting 0.4% of people between the ages of 14 and 35. Studies show that people assigned female at birth are about 8 times more likely than people assigned male at birth to develop aphonia.
Some possible causes noted in documented cases of aphonia include:
How Is Aphonia Diagnosed?
A healthcare provider will perform a physical examination and review your personal and family medical history as the first step in diagnosing aphonia. They will need to rule out any infections or structural problems that could cause you to lose your voice.
However, a diagnosis of aphonia is notoriously difficult to make, mainly because it is not usually linked to any physical problem, likevocal cord dysfunction. Aphonia is considered aconversion disorder, a condition without an obvious organic, physical, or neurologic cause exists. One study suggested that it can take between nine and 32 weeks to get an accurate diagnosis of aphonia, and several misdiagnoses usually come before it.
Other symptoms that can appear with conversion disorders like aphonia include:
Diagnostic Criteria for AphoniaThe American Psychiatric Association has outlined specific criteria for diagnosing conversion disorders in the fifth edition of itsDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5).These include:At least one symptom is of altered motor or sensory function.There’s no link between the symptoms and other neurological or medical conditions.Another medical or mental disorder is not causing the symptoms.The symptom causes significant distress or functional impairment.
Diagnostic Criteria for Aphonia
The American Psychiatric Association has outlined specific criteria for diagnosing conversion disorders in the fifth edition of itsDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5).These include:At least one symptom is of altered motor or sensory function.There’s no link between the symptoms and other neurological or medical conditions.Another medical or mental disorder is not causing the symptoms.The symptom causes significant distress or functional impairment.
The American Psychiatric Association has outlined specific criteria for diagnosing conversion disorders in the fifth edition of itsDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5).
These include:
Treatments for Aphonia
Aphonia is typically treated using a combination ofpsychotherapyand speech therapy. A healthcare provider will pay special attention to underlying conditions, stressors, or events that may have contributed to the condition and what may be done to treat those issues individually.
Dysphonia or Aphonia?
As for aphonia, treatment for dysphonia may include speech therapy, but it usually also involves some form of medical treatment for whateverphysical or structural problemhas contributed to the dysphonia.
How Vocal Cord Paralysis Can Affect Your Life
Prognosis for Aphonia
While aphonia can be challenging to diagnose, treatment is usually successful. Once you’ve identified the problem, speech therapy, and psychotherapy are very effective in helping people with aphonia overcome their condition.
Most people who develop aphonia are completely cured with therapy. In one study, all patients treated withspeech therapyalone fully recovered. Another study revealed that people with aphonia could regain the use of their voice on the first day of treatment.
However, delayed or missed diagnoses can lead to a fixation on aphonia, making the condition more difficult to treat.
Summary
You can lose your voice for various reasons, but aphonia is a disorder that usually develops from stressful events. Getting a diagnosis of aphonia can be difficult, since it’s rare and has no underlying medical explanation. However, once diagnosed with aphonia, your treatments are usually curative.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Naqvi Y, Gupta V.Functional voice disorders.StatPearls.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Voice disorders.Al-Balas HI, Abuhalaweh M, Melhem HB, Al-Balas H.Conversion disorder with aphonia in 12 years old male patient: A case report.Int J Surg Case Rep. June 2021;84:106135. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2021.106135Pachaiappan C, Sangeetha G, Balasubramanian S, Ramya Sri C.Treating functional aphonia: A case study.Int. J. Health Res.May 2020;10(5). ISSN: 2249-9571.Neighbors C, Song SA.Dysphonia.StatPearls.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Naqvi Y, Gupta V.Functional voice disorders.StatPearls.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Voice disorders.Al-Balas HI, Abuhalaweh M, Melhem HB, Al-Balas H.Conversion disorder with aphonia in 12 years old male patient: A case report.Int J Surg Case Rep. June 2021;84:106135. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2021.106135Pachaiappan C, Sangeetha G, Balasubramanian S, Ramya Sri C.Treating functional aphonia: A case study.Int. J. Health Res.May 2020;10(5). ISSN: 2249-9571.Neighbors C, Song SA.Dysphonia.StatPearls.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Naqvi Y, Gupta V.Functional voice disorders.StatPearls.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Voice disorders.Al-Balas HI, Abuhalaweh M, Melhem HB, Al-Balas H.Conversion disorder with aphonia in 12 years old male patient: A case report.Int J Surg Case Rep. June 2021;84:106135. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2021.106135Pachaiappan C, Sangeetha G, Balasubramanian S, Ramya Sri C.Treating functional aphonia: A case study.Int. J. Health Res.May 2020;10(5). ISSN: 2249-9571.Neighbors C, Song SA.Dysphonia.StatPearls.
Naqvi Y, Gupta V.Functional voice disorders.StatPearls.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.Voice disorders.
Al-Balas HI, Abuhalaweh M, Melhem HB, Al-Balas H.Conversion disorder with aphonia in 12 years old male patient: A case report.Int J Surg Case Rep. June 2021;84:106135. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2021.106135
Pachaiappan C, Sangeetha G, Balasubramanian S, Ramya Sri C.Treating functional aphonia: A case study.Int. J. Health Res.May 2020;10(5). ISSN: 2249-9571.
Neighbors C, Song SA.Dysphonia.StatPearls.
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