A syndrome caused by laryngeal dystonia in which the larynx’s breathing function is affected. Laryngeal dystonia much more commonly affects the voice (spasmodic dysphonia) rather than breathing, but occasionally it affects only breathing, or both breathing and voice.
Individuals afflicted with respiratory dystonia may have difficulty inhaling air through a glottis closed by adductory spasms, or may be able to inhale without difficulty but then to find it hard to breathe out, as the victim of involuntary breath-holding.
Respiratory Dystonia and the Struggle to Breathe
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Respiratory dystonia: