The total indirect and direct cost of epilepsy in the United States is estimated to be $15.5 billion yearly. This estimate is based on a reported cost of $12.5 billion in 1995 converted to 2004 dollar value using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. 4.
Many patients with adductor type spasmodic dysphonia complain of physical fatigue, tightness of the neck, back, and shoulder muscles and shortness of breath due to their efforts to phonate through the closed glottis. The severity of the symptoms of adductor spasmodic dysphonia varies within and among individuals.
A disorder that involves involuntary muscle contractions is also called a dystonia; therefore, another name for spasmodic dysphonia is laryngeal dystonia. Spasmodic dysphonia is considered a form of focal dystonia, a neurological disorder that affects muscle tone in one part of the body. Writer's cramp is another type of focal dystonia. Other dystonias can affect multiple regions of the body or the entire body.