Introduction
Difficulty in speaking refers to slurring of speech or inability to express oneself in spoken / written words. Some others have difficulty understanding spoken / written words.
As difficulty in speaking is most commonly caused by Stroke, which is a life-threatening condition, patients who have this symptom should immediately seek the advice of Neurologist. Furthermore, difficulty in speaking can occasionally be caused by Myasthenia Gravis and Guillain-Barre syndrome, both of which are life-threatening conditions.
What are the causes of difficulty in speaking?
Stroke
As mentioned above, the most common cause of difficulty in speaking is Stroke – blockage of the blood vessel in the brain or bleeding in the brain. Patients usually have other symptoms such as headache, vomiting, numbness, dizziness (vertigo) and unsteadiness. The symptoms of Stroke start suddenly, within a few minutes to half an hour.
Brain Tumour / Cancer
Brain Tumour or Cancer can cause difficulty in speaking. Patients usually have headache and vomiting. The symptoms usually start gradually over a few weeks.
Parkinson's Disease (PD)
PD is a neurological disorder that usually affects the elderly people (more than 65 years old). However, it may occasionally occur in young people (20-40 years old). In addition to slurring of speech, patients with PD also have tremor, slowness of movement and body stiffness.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
MS, which is a treatable autoimmune neurological disorder, can affect the patient’s speech. Others symptoms of MS are weakness or numbness of limbs and difficulty in passing urine.
Autoimmune disorders refer to medical conditions that are caused by abnormal antibody (proteins that are normally produced in the body to kill viruses or bacteria during infection), which attacks the body parts of human beings. In other words, instead of killing the virus or bacteria, the abnormal antibody in autoimmune disorders causes damages to our own body parts, such as our brain and nerve.
Myasthenia Gravis and Guillan-Barre syndrome
These auto-immune neurological disorders can cause difficulty in speaking, in addition to weakness of facial muscle and limbs.
What will the Neurologist do for patients with difficulty in speaking?
The Neurologist will perform physical examination, blood tests, Nerve conduction study / EMG and MRI scan of the brain.
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