What Happened To Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Voice? All You Need To Know About Spasmodic Dysphonia

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the newly appointed Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of the United States, has previously spoken about what he describes as his “terrible” voice, a condition known as spasmodic dysphonia.

RFK Jr.'s first noticed a change in his voice at the age of 42

Earlier this year, the 70-year-old Health Secretary told the Los Angeles Times that he “can’t stand” the sound of his voice. “My voice doesn’t really get tired,” the 70-year-old continued, “But the injury is neurological, so actually, the more I use the voice, the stronger it tends to get.” He added, “If I could sound better, I would.”

Kennedy revealed to the paper that he first noticed a change in his voice in 1996, at the age of 42. While he acknowledges there is no evidence linking the flu vaccine to his condition, he considers it “at least a potential culprit.”

What is spasmodic dysphonia?

Spasmodic dysphonia is also known by another name ​Laryngeal Dystonia, it is a condition where people with this condition suffer from voice and speech disorders.

In a publication released by Johns Hopkins Medicine, Dr. Alexander Hillel, M.D. states that spasmodic dysphonia “causes involuntary spasms in the muscles of the voice box or larynx. This causes the voice to break and have a tight, strained or strangled sound.”

There are three types of spasmodic dysphonia: adductor spasmodic dysphonia, abductor spasmodic dysphonia, and mixed spasmodic dysphonia.

According to Dr. Hillel, spasmodic dysphonia is a lifelong condition and “most often affects women, with symptoms starting between the ages of 30 and 50.”

What are the causes of spasmodic dysphonia?

Penn Medicine reveals that most cases of spasmodic dysphonia are caused by “a trigger in the brain and nervous system that can affect the voice" whereas in some cases it is caused by “psychological stress".