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Dysarthria is where you have difficulty speaking because the muscles you use for speech are weak. It can be caused by conditions that damage your brain or nerves and some medicines. Speech and language therapy can help.
These can be signs of a stroke, which is a medical emergency. The symptoms of a stroke usually come on suddenly.
Do not drive yourself to A&E.
The person you speak to at 999 will give you advice about what to do.
The main symptom of dysarthria is unclear speech. This can make it difficult for you to make yourself understood.
Your speech may only be slightly unclear, or you may not be able to speak clearly at all.
Other symptoms include:
Being stressed or tired may make your symptoms worse.
Dysarthria is not the same as dysphasia, although you can have both conditions at the same time. Dysphasia, also known as aphasia, is where you have difficulty understanding words or putting them together in a sentence.
They'll examine you and may refer you to a specialist for further tests.
Dysarthria is usually caused by damage to the brain or conditions that affect the nervous system. It can happen at any age.
Common causes include:
It can also be a side effect of certain medicines, such as some medicines to treat epilepsy.
If you have dysarthria, you'll usually be referred to a speech and language therapist. They'll offer therapy to help your speech and communication.
The therapy you're offered will be different depending on the cause of your dysarthria and how severe it is.
Some people may find therapy does not help their symptoms, or their speech may get worse as their condition progresses. Their therapy may focus on helping communication in other ways.
Speech and language therapy may include:
