Among a long list of Long Covid symptoms that linger weeks or even months after infection, speech disorders like stuttering too are being reported in Covid survivors. While respiratory complications are more common during or after Covid, neurological symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, loss of smell, are widely seen in people recovering from SARS-Cov-2. People who stutter know what they want to say but struggle to say it. Experts say stuttering can be one of the neurological manifestations post-Covid. (Also read: Brain fog from long Covid: Know the symptoms, effective tips to deal with it)
“Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disfluency disorder characterised by frequent and significant difficulties with normal fluency and flow of speech. People who stutter know what they want to say but struggle to say it. They may, for example, repeat or prolong a word, a syllable, or a consonant or vowel sound. The person may also pause while speaking because they have reached a difficult word or sound,” says Tasneem Ali Asgar Motiwala, Audiologist, Speech-Language & Swallowing Therapist, Masina Hospital, Mumbai.
How Covid-19 can induce or worsen stuttering?
A study showed that coronavirus can cause neurological damage, which means the virus can damage your brain. This can manifest in symptoms such as stuttering, among other things.
“The type of stuttering observed in patients who have recovered or are recovering from Covid-19 has its roots in the nervous system. The medications used to treat SARS-CoV2 infection have no history of causing stuttering. As a result, pharmacological causes of sudden onset stuttering in recovering individuals can be ruled out,” says Motiwala.
Motiwala says the origins of the disorder lie in complex brain circuits that coordinate the millions of neuronal connections required for human speech.
“Covid-19’s inflammatory response could undermine the efficiency of these circuits. An immune-mediated attack on synaptic connections could lead to a change in brain function. This change in brain function can worsen the existing stuttering or can cause a relapse of childhood stuttering. Adults already struggling with stuttering have noticed their blocks and repetitions worsen as a result of isolation, anxiety, and fear. Furthermore, the presence of stress and anxiety post-Covid-19 can exacerbate stuttering,” says the speech therapist.