Aging vocal cords

Introduction As people get older, not only will the skin loosen, but the vocal cords will also relax and shrink, and the whole voice will feel old. The larynx is an important vocal organ. When the sound is pronounced, the vocal cord is shifted to the midline, the glottis is closed, and the airflow exhales the impact vocal cord from the lungs, and the sound is emitted. After the resonance of the larynx, pharynx, nasal cavity and chest cavity, and the coordination of the lips and teeth, it is issued. Different sounds. The length, thickness, tension and elasticity of the vocal cords play a decisive role in the pronunciation. The laryngeal mucosa of the elderly is atrophy, the nervous system control ability of the larynx is decreased, and the vocal cords are aging. The reduction of the vocal cords and the number of fibers reduces the elasticity of the vocal cord muscles and the exercise capacity is poor. Therefore, the volume becomes small, the pronunciation is weak, the sound quality is degraded, and the sound is lacking. Suppressed.

Cause

Some patients are due to occupational factors, such as teachers or singers who need to speak hard often. They are often caused by improper long-term use or excessive use of sound. Some are aging of vocal cords after middle age, or the way of long-term vocalization is wrong. Caused. In the early days, the treble was broken, the sound was easy to fatigue and not long-lasting, and the bass was unchanged. Gradually increased in the future, due to the rupture of most sounds. There is a remarkable voice, from intermittent development to persistence, it is difficult for patients to sing and they cannot speak loudly.

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Under the action of hormones, the tone of women will be higher than that of men. After menopause, the vocal cords will relax and shrink due to aging. The male voice will become thinner and the range will be narrower. Women will lose female hormones and the voice will become lower. Hoarse; both men and women will feel more difficult to speak. The vocal cord's own tissue and the muscles of the vocal cords are atrophied. Once the vocal cords are atrophied, the vocal cords are easy to close when we are vocalizing. So the patient can easily feel that the speech is very tired and the sound will be hoarse. When the patient is working and singing, the high and low steps cannot be achieved in time.

Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnosis of vocal cord aging:

1. Atrophy of the vocal cords: Atrophy of the vocal cords refers to the phenomenon of the vocal cord's own tissue and the muscles of the vocal cords shrinking. Once the vocal cords are atrophied, the vocal cords are easy to close when we speak, so the patient is likely to feel tired. The sound will produce a hoarse phenomenon, which will lead to the inability of the patient to reach the high and low level when working and singing.

2, vocal cord hypertrophy: vocal cord hypertrophy, also known as chronic hypertrophic vocal cord inflammation or chronic proliferative vocal corditis, refers to a wide range of local or increased local vocal cords due to various factors.

3, vocal cord paralysis: vocal cord paralysis (vocal cord) or throat paralysis, is a clinical manifestation, not an independent disease. When the motor nerve (recurrent laryngeal nerve) of the larynx is damaged, there are three types of paralysis: vocal cord abduction, adduction, or muscle tension relaxation. Clinically, due to the longer stroke of the left recurrent laryngeal nerve, the left vocal cord paralysis is more common.

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