Communication disorders in Legionnaires’ disease

TLDR: Speech production ability was assessed in four long-standing cases using the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment and some supplementary measures, and deterioration in intelligibility, slow speaking rate, articulatory errors with the tongue the most involved of the articulators, and disruption of respiratory, laryngeal and swallow mechanisms.

Abstract: Although dysarthria has often been noted in Legionnaires’ disease sufferers, description of its components has been scarce. Speech production ability was assessed in four long-standing cases using the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment and some supplementary measures. Present in all subjects were deterioration in intelligibility, slow speaking rate, articulatory errors with the tongue the most involved of the articulators, and disruption of respiratory, laryngeal and swallow mechanisms. Cerebellar signs were evident in all subjects but the overall dysarthria pattern did not correspond closely with ataxic dysarthric features. Reference to aphasia is also made in the Legionnaires’ disease literature, but the Token Test, Graded Naming Test and the reading and writing tests of the Western Aphasia Battery did not reveal language deficiency in any of the subjects.