What is apraxia of speech as Chris Kamara opens up on his health struggles?' | The Sun

SKY sports presenter Chris Kamara has opened up about his speech condition and how it's impacted his life.

The 64-year-old is dealing with apraxia of speech, which means he has trouble saying words in the right order.

He appeared on Good Morning Britain after fans reached out to him with concern following his appearance on Soccer Saturday.

He said: "My apraxia, when it's bad stops those signals from that brain going to that mouth. It slows it down, at times it slurs the words as well. People are looking thinking 'is he all right? Is he drunk? What's the matter with him?"

Kamara reassured fans who had tweeted him with support.

"Alongside my thyroid problem I have developed Apraxia of Speech & have been working to get my speech back to normal.

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"Some days it can be a little slow and some days it’s normal. Hopefully I can beat this", he said.

But what is apraxia of speech and how is it related to thyroid issues?

Apraxia of speech is a condition which makes talking difficult, with sufferers knowing what they'd like to say, but having trouble communicating their words.

The NHS says that the condition can be extremely frustrating for people.

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They explained: "Frequently the person with apraxia will have difficulties with conversational speech. However they may be good at ‘automatic’ speech tasks such as counting, swearing, repeating rhymes, greetings and farewell.

It's usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain, such as a stroke.

The condition does not affect a person's understanding and the symptoms of the condition can vary occurring to the severity of the disorder.

The main symptoms are:

  • being able to say a word correctly one minute and then not the next
  • difficulty at the beginning of words
  • greater difficulty with longer words
  • aware of mistakes but unable to correct them
  • speaking slowly
  • being better at 'automatic tasks' such as counting and singing.

How is a linked to an underactive thyroid?

An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) is where your thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones.

Common signs of an underactive thyroid are tiredness, weight gain and feeling depressed.

Studies have previously shown that apraxia of speech is linked to an underactive thyroid.

An underactive thyroid can develop over the years and it might not always be noticeable.

If the condition is not treated it can lead to a condition called goitre, which is a swelling of the thyroid gland in the throat that causes a lump in the front of the neck.

This lump can contributed to a hoarse voice and speech difficulty.

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A study published in The Eurasian Journal of Medicine found that voice quality can be affected by thyroid disease.

The paper stated: "Thyroid gland disorders cause minor changes in acoustic voice parameters of patients with hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism."

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