dysphonia

medical condition

Also known as: voice disorder

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Last updated

June 25, 2026

Quick Summary

Dysphonia is a medical term for a defective use of the voice. It encompasses a range of voice disorders that can stem from various causes. These can include organic origins, such as paralysis of the larynx, trauma, or systemic diseases affecting the body.12

Dysphonia can also be nonorganic, arising from functional issues. Habitual dysphonias result from poor speaking habits, while psychogenic dysphonias are linked to emotional causes. These functional disorders can manifest as hyperkinetic (overactive) or hypokinetic (underactive) subtypes, affecting the larynx's muscular activity and leading to symptoms like harshness or breathiness.2

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speech disorder
Voice disorders
…the voice are described as dysphonia. Depending on the underlying cause, the various types of dysphonia are subdivided by the specifying adjective. Thus, a vocal disorder stemming from paralysis of the larynx is a paralytic dysphonia; injury (trauma) of the larynx may produce traumatic dysphonia; endocrine dysphonia reflects the voice…
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…the voice are described as dysphonia. Depending on the underlying cause, the various types of dysphonia are subdivided by the specifying adjective. Thus, a vocal disorder stemming from paralysis of the larynx is a paralytic dysphonia; injury (trauma) of the larynx may produce traumatic dysphonia; endocrine dysphonia reflects the voice…
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nervous system disease
Language and speech deficits
…production of speech sounds, called dysphonia, often indicate a problem affecting the larynx or the nerves and muscles of that structure. Since the cranial nerves supplying these areas originate in the brainstem, neurological disease of this region may also be a cause.
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…production of speech sounds, called dysphonia, often indicate a problem affecting the larynx or the nerves and muscles of that structure. Since the cranial nerves supplying these areas originate in the brainstem, neurological disease of this region may also be a cause.
Read More