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What Causes Slow And Slurred Speech?
I have a male firend that is age 24. Two days ago he noticed that he had trouble speaking. His speech became slow and a bit slurred. He went to the emergency room and had a variety of tests., CT, Mri , blood work. Everything came back normal and clear. At first the symptom came and wenrt but in the past 48 hours it has become more frequent and become more and more pronounced. He followed up with a neurologist and was told that there are no signs of anything. I should mention he traveled to Thailand a few weeks ago. He does have several bug bites, went scuba diving and was around and swam with elephants. None of this seemed to concern the doctors. We are very frustrated as to why this has suddenly happened to an otherwise healthy young man. Any advice is helpful..
Sun, 21 Apr 2019
Hello,
Slurred or slow speech (Dysarthria) can occur due to extreme stress & dehydration, anxiety, too much alcoholic drink.
Your friend should get properly hydrated, sodium, potassium depletion in the electrolyte system of the body can cause slurring of speech due to developing weakness of the facial, tongue or throat muscles. It can result in facial paralysis.
Other causes can be stroke or MS, Multiple sclerosis or some developing tumor. Sometimes, it can be due to interaction or side effects of some medications (antidepressants, narcotics or sedatives).
Help him stay away from addictions if any. Get him physically examined by a GP. He may have to go through some blood works and Imaging tests.
His treatment will depend upon the pathology detected.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Nupur K, General & Family Physician
Slurred or slow speech (Dysarthria) can occur due to extreme stress & dehydration, anxiety, too much alcoholic drink.
Your friend should get properly hydrated, sodium, potassium depletion in the electrolyte system of the body can cause slurring of speech due to developing weakness of the facial, tongue or throat muscles. It can result in facial paralysis.
Other causes can be stroke or MS, Multiple sclerosis or some developing tumor. Sometimes, it can be due to interaction or side effects of some medications (antidepressants, narcotics or sedatives).
Help him stay away from addictions if any. Get him physically examined by a GP. He may have to go through some blood works and Imaging tests.
His treatment will depend upon the pathology detected.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Nupur K, General & Family Physician
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