Saliva, swallowing, and parkinson's

Sat Nov 10, 2007 6:20 am Post subject: Saliva, swallowing and Parkinson's

There are 75-90% people with Parkinson's have speech and saliva drooling disorders . I am one of the sufferers. Drooling causes us inconvenience in public Kindly brief us as follow: Why parkinson's have soft voice and speech? Is it related with the rigidity of movement? Why don't the saliva swallowing automatically instead drooling from the mouth? What is the cause of dry mouth and how to coping with it? Is swallowing problems lead us with pneumonia or other unrelated disease? At present I am taking 1/2 dose Benzhexol 2mg three times a day for my saliva treatment. Best regards TEOKIMHOE
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lmahlerJoined: 02 Apr 2007Posts: 1
Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 6:23 pm Post subject: Soft speech in PD

Great question about why people with PD frequently have soft speech. There are several reasons why. The most common perceptual speech characteristics include reduced loudness, monopitch, hoarseness, a breathy voice quality and/or imprecise articulation. These changes are due to changes in muscle function including rigidity, weakness, and difficulty initiating movement. Sensory changes associated with PD contribute to the softer voice also. Most people with PD think they are speaking loud enough when they are, in fact, speaking softly. People with PD have less neural innervation of vocal fold muscles (Baker et al., and Luschei et al.,) that increases breathiness. In addition, there is often small mouth opening and imprecise articulation that can make it more difficult to be understood. As you have experienced first hand, these voice and speech symptoms can have a significantly negative impact on quality of life. The presence of speech and voice disorders can effect communication at work, with family or with friends. Seeking an evaluation with a speech-language pathologist experienced with PD as early as possible is important so you can begin an effective treatment program. I would recommend that you seek an evaluation with a speech therapist who is certified in the LSVT. The LSVT is a treatment that was developed specifically for individuals with Parkinson’s disease, and it has efficacy data showing that it can help people become more understandable. You can find out more about LSVT and find a certified therapist in your area by going to the website at http://www.lsvt.org./ Good luck to you._________________Leslie Mahler, PhD, CCC-SLP Assistant Professor University of Rhode Island