What is vocal cord dysfunction (VCD)?
Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is when your vocal cords (vocal folds) close when they’re supposed to be open. Opening them is outside of your control and, because of that, you may have trouble breathing. VCD is also called inducible laryngeal obstruction, paradoxical vocal cord movement (PVFM) and laryngeal dysfunction.
Your vocal folds (cords) are inside of your larynx, which is above your trachea (windpipe). They are two bands of muscle. When you take in a breath, the vocal folds open. When you talk and they close, they each stretch towards the other until they meet in the middle, and vibrate. If you have vocal cord dysfunction, the folds move toward the middle when you breathe in and out, blocking the airway.
Vocal cord dysfunction causes asthma-like symptoms, and is often mistaken for asthma. Nearly 80% of VCD episodes are wrongly diagnosed as asthma, especially asthma caused by exercise. You can have both VCD and asthma – even episodes at the same time.
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Is vocal cord dysfunction life-threatening?
Don’t hesitate to go to the emergency department if you’re having trouble breathing. But, it’s likely that tests will show you’re getting enough oxygen even though it doesn’t feel like it. VCD can feel life-threatening, but it actually isn’t.
Most people have VCD episodes only once in a while, with mild or minor symptoms. Others have episodes that are severe or occur more frequently.
What does vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) feel like?
People report that they feel like they have a lump in their throat or that it’s tight. You may struggle to inhale enough air, which can be painful or cause tension. Patients also may hear noise when they are breathing in, called stridor. This is different from a wheeze when breathing out, which is more consistent with asthma.
What are the types of vocal cord dysfunction?
- Laryngospasm: A laryngospasm is where your vocal cords seize or contract. You may lose your ability to speak and struggle to breathe. This can be caused by a reflux (GERD), environmental irritants and more.
- Exercised induced VCD: This is when the vocal cords move toward the middle when you are breathing during high intensity exercise, making it difficult to take air in.
- Irritant-induced VCD: Irritant-induced VCD is when the vocal cords contract with certain environmental triggers, such as strong scents, fumes, pollutants, chemicals and more.
- Stress-induced VCD: Vocal folds contract as a response to stress and anxiety.
Who gets vocal cord dysfunction (VCD)?
Women experience vocal cord dysfunction more often than men. It can happen to anyone, including kids as young as eight years old, but it’s most common in women ages 20 to 40.
What’s the difference between vocal cord dysfunction and vocal cord paralysis?
Individuals with VCD typically have fully mobile vocal cords. Most of the time, the vocal cords can open and close appropriately. Vocal cord paralysis is when one or both vocal cords are stuck in one position, unable to open or close. If a vocal cord is fixed closer to the middle of your airway, it may cause breathing trouble. If it’s fixed to the side of your airway, you may have trouble with you voice and trouble protecting your trachea and lungs from food and liquid when you swallow.
How do you get vocal cord dysfunction? Is VCD contagious?
Experts are aware of what can trigger (start) an episode of vocal cord dysfunction, but it’s unclear what really causes it. VCD isn’t contagious.
FAQs
It is a maladaptive learned reaction to laryngeal hypersensitivity. This hypersensitivity can be acquired through large or repeated exposures of the vocal folds and the airway to irritants. These can include inhaled irritants, repeated or large amounts of acid reflux, mechanical triggers, or even emotional trauma.
What is the best treatment for vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Treatment for vocal cord dysfunction is often nonmedicinal and involves respiratory retraining therapy with a qualified speech-language pathologist. Therapy generally requires two to six 60-minute sessions. These sessions aim to: Identify and eliminate sources of chronic throat irritation.
Can you recover from vocal cord dysfunction? ›
It's likely that you'll have more than one episode of vocal cord dysfunction. VCD can't be cured, but it can be managed. Remember that it's not life-threatening.
How do you reverse vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Speech therapy is the primary treatment for VCD. Specially trained speech-language pathologists teach you exercises designed to relieve episodes of VCD. You will learn relaxed-throat breathing and lower-abdominal breathing strategies to manage episodes of breathing difficulty.
How long can vocal cord dysfunction last? ›
Any hoarseness or change in voice that lasts longer than two weeks should be brought to the attention of your health care provider. It is important to see a voice specialist or ENT for a full examination of the vocal folds if symptoms do not resolve within four weeks.
Can you outgrow vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Can Vocal Cord Dysfunction be cured? Yes, a speech therapist, psychologist and your doctor can work with your child to control the VCD. Treatment will depend on the cause.
What mimics vocal cord dysfunction? ›
VCD is sometimes confused with asthma because some of the symptoms are similar. In asthma, the airways (bronchial tubes) tighten, making breathing difficult. With VCD, the vocal cord muscles tighten, which also makes breathing difficult. Unlike asthma, VCD is not an allergic response starting in the immune system.
Does an ENT treat vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Vocal cord dysfunction is treated by an ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT, also called an otolaryngologist), a pulmonologist, and a speech therapist. They work together to help the child learn to relax the vocal cords while breathing.
What aggravates vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Exercise, psychological conditions, airborne irritants, rhinosinusitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or use of certain medications may trigger vocal cord dysfunction. The differential diagnosis includes asthma, angioedema, vocal cord tumors, and vocal cord paralysis.
Is VCD a disability? ›
Virtually any voice disorder, whether acute or chronic, has the potential to be recognized as a disability even if symptoms are not consistent.
Practice sniffing in deeply and quickly. 3 quick sniffs that rapidly follow one another allows air into your lungs by forcing your vocal folds open. 3. After you take 3 quick, deep sniffs into your body, exhale through pursed lips or while making any of the following sounds for a count of 8-10: “s, sh, f ”.
What is the new name for vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Common tests for VCD:
Vocal Cord Dysfunction means that your vocal cords do not act normally. It is also called paradoxical vocal fold motion disorder.
Do inhalers help vocal cord dysfunction? ›
VCD is not a respiratory condition so inhalers such as Albuterol or inhaled steroids do not help the condition. VCD is typically treated with a series of breathing exercises to help re-train the vocal cords to relax during breathing and help the patient to use the muscle in their abdomen called the diaphragm.
Does prednisone help vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Oral steroids can reduce swelling in the vocal cords and surrounding soft tissue and may also reduce the size of a benign vocal cord lesion. Pills are typically prescribed for less than one week. Your doctor then reevaluates your vocal cord function and symptoms before recommending further treatment.
What medication is used for vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Anticholinergic agent. Inhaled ipratropium may be helpful treatment in patients with exercise-induced VCD. In a series of 6 patients receiving treatment with inhaled ipratropium, all patients reported improvement in symptoms.
Is there surgery for vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Laryngeal framework surgery is used to treat patients with vocal cord paralysis or laryngeal stenosis, to restore the original shape of their larynx. It also can be used to treat people who have had cancer, surgery that caused nerve damage or a trauma to the larynx.
Is vocal cord dysfunction neurological? ›
Voice dysfunction is often the result of neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke or ALS. These neurological disorders interfere with the control, coordination, and strength of the muscles surrounding the vocal cords.
Can you fix permanently damaged vocal cords? ›
Can a paralyzed vocal cord be repaired? Sometimes, the vocal cords repair themselves. This may take months. With voice therapy, vocal cord injections or implants, your voice may get stronger and allow people to hear you better when you talk.
How to relax vocal cords? ›
Breathe in gently through the nose. Stick your tongue out of your mouth, past the teeth & lower lip, in preparation to exhale. This forward stretch of the tongue helps to open the airway at the vocal cords. This may be difficult to do with a severe spasm but will be easier the more you repeat this exercise.
What aggravates vocal cords? ›
Vocal cord disorders are often caused by vocal abuse or misuse. This includes using the voice too much when singing, talking, coughing, or yelling. Smoking and breathing in irritants are also vocal abuse.
What causes vocal fold paralysis? Vocal fold paralysis may be caused by injury to the head, neck, or chest; lung or thyroid cancer; tumors of the skull base, neck, or chest; or infection (for example, Lyme disease).
How do you exercise vocal cord dysfunction? ›
Practice sniffing in deeply and quickly. 3 quick sniffs that rapidly follow one another allows air into your lungs by forcing your vocal folds open. 3. After you take 3 quick, deep sniffs into your body, exhale through pursed lips or while making any of the following sounds for a count of 8-10: “s, sh, f ”.
