Dysarthria in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A review

Abstract

Dysarthria is a motor disorder of speech characterized by abnormalities of the articulation and intelligibility of speech. Phonation and the rate of facial movements may also be affected. Understanding the nature and course of dysarthria in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is important because loss of communication prevents patients from participating in many activities, may lead to social isolation, and reduces the quality of life. The goal of management of dysarthria in ALS patients is to optimize communication effectiveness for as long as possible. The information about dysarthria in ALS is dispersed in physiological, pathological, speech therapy, otorhinolaringological and neurological publications. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on the clinical features, differential diagnosis, pathophysiology, investigations and management of dysarthria in ALS patients. There is a need to compare the different methods used to assess dysarthria and for controlled clinical trials to assess therapeutic strategies.

Dysarthria and dysphagia are highly prevalent among various types of neuromuscular diseases

“…However, we also found speech and swallowing impairments in two out of six patients with hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, one of the two patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and one of the four patients with multifocal motor neuropathy. On the other hand, it is well-documented that in ALS, both dysarthria and dysphagia can occur, and their prevalence increases during disease progression in nearly all patients [7,23]; in our patient cohort, all nine ALS patients were affected, albeit only mildly.…”

“…Although some studies have investigated the prevalence of dysphagia and dysarthria among patients with NMD, these studies focused only on specific diseases such as myotonic dystrophy, myas thenia gravis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and inclusion body myositis [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], all of which are well-documented for causing dysarthria and/or dysphagia. However, little information is available regarding the prevalence rates of dysarthria and dysphagia in a wider range of NMD disorders.…”

Association between dysarthria and cognitive impairment in ALS: A prospective study

“…These intermittent episodes progress as muscles of the lips, tongue, and pharynx become weak, slow and limited, resulting in decreasing intelligibility. Difficulties may progress to the point of anarthria (4).…”

Progressive dysarthria and augmentative and alternative communication in conversation: establishing the reliability of the Dysarthria‐in‐Interaction Profile

“…Motor speech symptoms associated with progressive neurological conditions such as motor neurone disdisease severity (Hartelius and Svensson 1994, Yorkston 2007, Tomik and Guiloff 2010. Recent research has reported that these dysarthrias can also have a profound effect on the participation of, and social interaction between, people with dysarthria and their communication partners (Baylor et al 2011.…”