Medical Term for Decreased Voice
The medical term for decreased voice is "dysphonia," which refers to impaired voice production characterized by altered vocal quality, pitch, loudness, or vocal effort as recognized by a clinician. 1
Terminology Distinction
Dysphonia is the clinically precise term that describes impaired voice production affecting quality, pitch, loudness, or vocal effort that impairs communication or reduces quality of life. 1
Hoarseness is technically a symptom of altered voice quality reported by patients, while dysphonia characterizes the condition as assessed by clinicians. 1 The terms are often used interchangeably in practice, though dysphonia is the more accurate medical terminology. 1
Related but Distinct Terms
Hypophonia specifically refers to reduced speech volume or decreased loudness, which is a subset of dysphonia. 2, 3 This term is more commonly associated with:
- Parkinson's disease and extrapyramidal disorders 3, 4
- Brainstem lesions 3
- Thalamic strokes 3
- Lacunar infarcts affecting the corona radiata 2
Clinical Recognition
The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery defines dysphonia as affecting nearly one-third of the population at some point in their lives. 5 The diagnosis is based strictly on clinical criteria and does not require testing or additional investigations initially. 1
Important Caveat
Do not confuse dysphonia with dysarthria, which is a speech disorder due to impaired movement of structures used for speech production (lips, tongue, articulation musculature), rather than a voice production problem. 1