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Vocal Cord Dysfunction: Symptoms, Causes, and Management with Vincristine

Vocal Cord Dysfunction: Symptoms, Causes, and Management with Vincristine

VCD is defined as any failure to function properly in either of the two vocal cords. It can potentially impact their breathing and speech which will undoubtedly impact their everyday lifespan hugely. VCD happens when the vocal cords do not open and close when you breathe in the right manner and the signs are as follows.

Vocal Cord Dysfunction: Symptoms, Causes, and Management with Vincristine

This article examines the interaction between VCD and one of the chemotherapy agents that are administered to cancerous patients under various stages of cancerous types.

 

VCD is described as a malfunction of the vocal cords. It can affect breathing and speech in people, affecting their daily lives drastically. VCD occurs when the vocal cords fail to open and close during ventilation appropriately, leading to symptoms.

 

Vocal Cord Dysfunction: Symptoms, Causes, and Management with Vincristine

What is Vocal Cord Dysfunction?

Vocal Cord Dysfunction may also lead to abnormal closure of the vocal cords upon inspiration; this simply blocks the inspiratory flow. VCD can mimic asthma, any physician needs to recognize the difference between these two diagnoses. Nonspecific symptoms are noisy breathing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or laziness. VCD can be a life sentence because it can be either chronic or irregular.

It is a disorder with vocal cord dysfunction, often beginning in the teens and getting worse during adult life. Many factors may lead someone to develop VCD.  For instance, being anxiously predisposed, or even around certain triggers.

Vincristine may lead to peripheral neuropathy, which is the general term that describes many forms of nerve damage. The recurrent laryngeal nerve controls the movement of the vocal cords, so the damage from this may lead to the malfunction of the vocal cords in many patients given vincristine.

Furthermore, vincristine can induce pharyngitis, which irritates the vocal cords while worsening the symptoms of VCD. Drier-than-normal vocal cords are less responsive to function and tend to close inappropriately much more frequently.

 

How Does Vincristine Relate to Vocal Cord Dysfunction?

Vincristine is an anticancer drug used to treat several cancers, for instance blood cancers (leukemia and lymphoma). It interferes with cancer cells while providing undesirable effects on the patient, including neurological signs and muscle weakness. If the nerves that regulate the movement of the vocal cords are damaged it can result in malfunctioning of the vocal cords themselves.

Causes of Vocal Cord Dysfunction

Vincristine disrupts nervous control of the vocal cord. Since the medication damages the nerve cells it will disrupt the signal that indicates when it should open or close to allow breathing.

 

Episodes of breathing, communication problems or dysphonia (disorder of voice), and the high-pitched breath sound or wheezing are symptoms of vocal cord dysfunction syndrome.

 

Vocal Cord Dysfunction Syndrome Symptoms

 

The symptoms of VCD can vary. They are often irregular but vary from mild to severe. The primary symptoms are:

 

  • Wheezing: It is a musical, high-pitched sound when breathing in that may be loud enough to be heard without special equipment.
  • Shortness of Breath: Most people complain that they just can’t catch their breath, especially if they need to do exercise have been in stressful situations, or perhaps for some time after exposure to a trigger.
  • Voice changes: Some complain that the voice is sore or uncomfortable when speaking or singing, and the voice deteriorates during use or when physical activity has taken place.
  • Coughing: Dry cough that occurs at almost any point but is usually much worse either during or immediately after breathing episodes.
  • Throat tightness: Feeling constricted, as if one is being strangled in the throat, often with the associated hyperventilation that can be uncomfortable and contribute to increasing anxiety.

 

These symptoms are usually frightening and can increase anxiety in response, which can potentially worsen the condition.

 

Managing Vocal Cord Dysfunction

 

There is treatment for VCD involving medication and other methods. Here are some helpful strategies:

 

 

  • Speech therapy: A speech therapist can improve the ways your vocal cords move. They can also help you learn better breathing.
  • Breathing exercises: The learning process of diaphragmatic breathing can make it easier for a person to breathe during attacks by VCDs when the drops in one’s tension level are high.

 

When someone is suffering from an attack of Vocal Cord Dysfunction, one can manage the same by alleviating the process of breathing through diaphragmatic breathing. Sit or lie down and put one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe in deeply through your nose, focusing on letting your belly expand outward, and exhale slowly by pursing your lips. Another method found to be helpful was pursed lip breathing-you inhale through the nose for 2 seconds and exhale for 4 seconds through pursed lips. Another very helpful technique is known as the 4-7-8 technique: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and then exhale for 8. These techniques not only help one gain better control over the breath but also decrease overall stress levels, which is most important during VCD episodes.

 

  • Avoiding triggers: Avoid things that may lead to symptoms, such as pungent smells, dust, and allergens. Clean the air inside.
  • Medication: In some situations, it may be recommended by your doctor to take medication, especially if anxiety is one of the triggers causing VCD.

 

Use these tactics daily to keep symptoms in control and make life easier with VCD.

 

When to Seek Medical Help

 

If you have symptoms of vocal cord dysfunction, particularly if you are on vincristine, see your doctor. A healthcare provider can give you the right diagnosis and treatment plan.

 

You should inform your doctors of any variations in your symptoms. Early detection of problems or changes that come as a result of treatments for cancer can improve one’s outcome.

 

FAQs

 

  1. Is VCD sometimes misdiagnosed as asthma?

Vocal cord dysfunction, like asthma, can cause breathlessness and wheezing; thus, differentiation is required for proper treatment. Tests like lung function tests and laryngoscopy can help diagnose VCD and rule out asthma.

 

  1. Are there any predisposing factors that one might be subjected to that would predispose one to vocal cord dysfunction?

 

Those who have conditions where they undergo chemotherapy, especially if it involves vincristine and individuals who are experiencing respiratory or neurological disorders are predisposed to have VCD. Those sweeteners may also be hazardous to competitive athletes and highly stressed individuals.

 

  1. In what way does speech therapy play a role in helping those with vocal cord dysfunction?

 

Clinical practice may offer focused voice exercises and breathing practices that may enhance the function of the vocal cords and the ability to speak. Counsellors can instruct strategies for controlling stress and anxiety to further reduce the impact of VCD.

 

  1. Can palpitations be the result of vocal cord dysfunction?

 

Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) often improves spontaneously or is relieved by the elimination of some factors, but most individuals can benefit from proactive management through therapy and lifestyle changes to achieve long-term improvement.

 

 

 

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