In summary, while aphonia is a loss of voice (we become aphonic), dysphonia is an abnormal modification of vocal qualities, especially in terms of voice timbre. In fact, the very etymology of both words shows us this. The prefix “a” means “absence”, while the prefix “dis” means “difficulty for”.
What are the characteristics of dysphonia?
Dysphonia is characterized by altered vocal quality, pitch, loudness, or vocal effort. tremulous voice (shaky voice; rhythmic pitch and loudness undulations).
What is the difference between dysphasia and aphasia?
Dysphasia, on the other hand, only involves moderate language impairments. However, many health professionals and researchers use these terms interchangeably to refer to full and partial disruptions of language abilities. Aphasia is the preferred term in North America, while dysphasia may be more common in other parts of the world.
What are psychogenic voice disorders (conversion aphonia/dysphonia)?
The resulting voice disorders are referred to as psychogenic voice disorders or psychogenic conversion aphonia/dysphonia (Stemple, Glaze, & Klaben, 2010). These voice disorders are rare.
What is functional aphonia?
Functional aphonia is one in which the loss of voice is caused by an alteration in some region of the speech apparatus but without being able to speak of an injury as such.
What is an aphonia?
If you have aphonia or loss of voice, it means you can't make yourself heard because your voice sounds hoarse, or you can't speak above a whisper.
What causes aphonia?
What causes aphonia? The main causes of voice loss are: Diseases of the respiratory system: a cold, laryngitis, cough, tonsillitis, nodules, allergies, throat cancer. Misuse of the voice: straining the voice too much or shouting.
What are the symptoms of aphonia?
Aphonia symptoms may include:Inability to speak or inability to speak above a whisper.Hoarseness.Spasm of vocal cords.Throat pain.Difficulty swallowing—food or fluids may go into the lungs.
How do you assess dysphonia?
Dysphonia Diagnosis and Treatment: What to Expect Our laryngologist will perform a stroboscopy, an examination of your vocal cords as they vibrate. It is a test performed only at specialized voice centers, which helps us understand your vocal cord function as we identify a cause for your dysphonia.
Where is aphonia located?
Clinical Presentation Aphonia indicates a complete airway obstruction. Hoarseness is specifically localized to the larynx and is associated with edema and unilateral vocal cord dysfunction.
What is dysphonia treatment?
The goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms of the disorder. Injecting Botox directly into the affected muscles of the voice box is a common therapy that is successful. Speech therapy is also a key part of treatment. Some centers offer a surgery to cut one of the nerves of the vocal fold.
What dysphonia sounds like?
The most common symptoms of muscle tension dysphonia include: Voice that sounds rough, hoarse, gravelly or raspy. Voice that sounds weak, breathy, airy or is only a whisper. Voice that sounds strained, pressed, squeezed, tight or tense.
What is Functional dysphonia?
Functional dysphonia is poor voice quality without any obvious anatomical, neurological or other organic difficulties affecting the larynx or voice box. It is also referred to as functional voice difficulty.
What is spasmodic dysphonia?
Spasmodic dysphonia, also known as laryngeal dystonia, is a neurologic disorder that can affect the voice and speech. It is a lifelong condition that causes the muscles that generate a person's voice to go into periods of spasm. In some cases, the disorder is temporary or can be improved through treatment.
How serious is dysphonia?
It changes the way your voice performs and sounds when you speak. The condition may also be called spastic vocal cords or spastic dysphonia. In some people with spasmodic dysphonia, voice changes every few sentences or as often as every word. In severe cases, the condition can make a person difficult to understand.
What neurological disorder causes voice loss?
Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a neurological voice disorder that affects the voice muscles in the larynx, or voice box, causing it to “spasm.” These spasms cause the voice to be interrupted and affect voice quality. SD can cause the voice to break up or to have a tight, strained, breathy, whispery or strangled quality.
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What is dysphasia in speech?
Definition. Dysphasia is a condition that affects your ability to produce and understand spoken language. Dysphasia can also cause reading, writing, and gesturing impairments. Dysphasia is often mistaken for other disorders. It’s sometimes confused with dysarthria, a speech disorder. It may also be confused with dysphagia, a swallowing disorder.
Why do people with dysphasia have difficulty with verbal communication?
Consequently, people with dysphasia often have difficulty with verbal communication. Dysphasia is caused by brain damage.
What is the rarest type of dysphasia?
Conduction dysphasia (also known as conduction aphasia) Conduction dysphasia is one of the rarest types of dysphasia. People with conduction dysphasia can understand and produce speech, but may have difficulty repeating it.
What is the name of the brain damage caused by Wernicke's dysphasia?
Wernicke’s dysphasia (also known as Wernicke ’s aphasia) Wernicke’s dysphasia involves damage to a part of the brain called Wernicke’s area . Wernicke’s area helps us to understand the meaning of words and language.
How does dysphasia affect language?
Expressive dysphasia affects speech and language output. People who have expressive dysphasia have difficulty producing speech, though they may understand what’s said to them. They’re usually aware of their difficulties expressing themselves.
What is the name of the disorder that affects the nerve fibers that carry information between the brain's language centers
Transcor tical dysphasia is less common. Also known as isolation dysphasia, it affects the nerve fibers that carry information between the brain’s language centers, as well as other centers that integrate and process subtle aspects of communication. These include tone of voice, emotion, and facial expressions.
What is global dysphasia?
Global dysphasia (also called global aphasia) is caused by widespread damage to the brain’s language centers. People with global dysphasia have extreme difficulty expressing and understanding language.
What are the different types of voice disorders?
A number of different systems are used for classifying voice disorders. For the purposes of this document, voice disorders are categorized as follows: 1 Organic — voice disorders that are physiological in nature and result from alterations in respiratory, laryngeal, or vocal tract mechanisms 2 Structural — organic voice disorders that result from physical changes in the voice mechanism (e.g., alterations in vocal fold tissues such as edema or vocal nodules; structural changes in the larynx due to aging) 3 Neurogenic — organic voice disorders that result from problems with the central or peripheral nervous system innervation to the larynx that affect functioning of the vocal mechanism (e.g., vocal tremor, spasmodic dysphonia, or paralysis of vocal folds) 4 Functional — voice disorders that result from improper or inefficient use of the vocal mechanism when the physical structure is normal (e.g., vocal fatigue; muscle tension dysphonia or aphonia; diplophonia; ventricular phonation)
What is the name of the disorder that affects voice quality?
Voice quality can also be affected when psychological stressors lead to habitual, maladaptive aphonia or dysphonia. The resulting voice disorders are referred to as psychogenic voice disorders or psychogenic conversion aphonia/dysphonia (Stemple, Glaze, & Klaben, 2010). These voice disorders are rare.
What is the cause of voice production?
Normal voice production depends on power and airflow supplied by the respiratory system; laryngeal muscle strength, balance, coordination, and stamina; and coordination among these and the supraglottic resonatory structures (pharynx, oral cavity, nasal cavity).
Is voice disorder mutually exclusive?
Voice disorders are not mutually exclusive, and overlap is common. For example, the etiology of nodules is functional, as they result from behavioral voice misuse. The voice misuse results in repeated trauma to the vocal folds, which may then lead to structural (organic) changes to the vocal fold tissue.
1. Organic aphonia
Organic aphonia is one in which the loss of voice arises due to anatomical lesions in the organs of the speaking apparatus.
2. Psychogenic aphonia
Psychogenic aphonia is one in which the loss of voice arises as a psychomatization of a psychological problem. That is, it is the type of aphonia in which the problem does not arise from damage to the speaking organs (at an organic level, everything is fine), but as a physical manifestation of a disorder of emotional or psychological origin.
3. Traumatic aphonia
Traumatic aphonia is one in which the loss of voice arises as a consequence of external trauma that damages the speech apparatus. That is, aphonia does not appear due to internal damage (except in those cases due to intracranial intubations or implantation of nasogastric tubes), but to external damage that causes a partial or total loss of voice.
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We are talking about traffic accidents that damage the organs of the speech apparatus, puncture wounds in the larynx area, injuries to the neck, burns … In this case, the treatment will require surgical intervention, although in some cases they cannot completely repair the ability to speak and is sometimes even contraindicated.
4. Hearing aphonia
Hearing aid or audiogenic aphonia is one in which the loss of voice arises as a result of hearing impairment. That is, aphonia appears not due to the somatization of psychological disorders or internal (such as organic) or external (such as traumatic) injuries, but rather due to a hearing deficit.
5. Functional aphonia
Functional aphonia is one in which the loss of voice is caused by an alteration in some region of the speech apparatus but without being able to speak of an injury as such.

Main Differences Between Aphonia and Dysphonia
How Does The Loss of Voice occur?
- The progression from dysphonia to aphonia is gradual. We can consider that aphonia is the last step, the final station of a process of alteration and damage of the voice in which no precautions have been taken to avoid losing the voice, whether temporary or permanently. The main reasons why you may experience a decrease in your voice are: 1. Inflam...
Treatment and Prevention
- Hoarseness and hoarseness are two degrees of the same problem: inflammation in the vocal cords. For this reason, the solution is the same for both conditions, the reduction of inflammation of the strings, first letting them rest and, if necessary, go to pharmacology. It is essential not to force the voice, since it can create a vicious cycle in the inflamed strings, swelling and damagin…
Can Something More Serious Happen?
- Normally, cases of dysphonia are solved in a matter of days, however, if not, a doctor should be consulted to assess the severity of the case. Most likely, this professional will prescribe pain relievers to reduce throat discomfort, in addition to rest. But sometimes what is behind aphonia and dysphonia can be much more serious, a medical condition that requires urgent pharmacolo…