Bogart-Bacall Syndrome

An overuse condition affecting the VOCAL CORDS and larynx. The key characteristic is a low, husky speaking voice (such as immortalized by famed actors Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, the namesakes of this condition). Speaking in the lower registers of pitch strains the muscles of the larynx and the tissues of the vocal cords, causing symptoms such as voice fatigue (inability to maintain volume when speaking), soreness or PAIN in the THROAT, and hoarseness or raspiness when speaking. Treatment focuses on improving breath control to speak when the lungs contain an adequate volume of air. Efficient BREATHING during speech lessens the tension of the muscles in the throat that control the vocal cords and flow of air. Some people, particularly women, whose voices are naturally in a higher register of pitch than the voices of men, benefit from VOICE THERAPY to learn to speak at a higher pitch.