Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, who announced his campaign for 2024 elections on Wednesday, suffers from a voice disorder – spasmodic dysphonia, also knows as laryngeal dystonia. The condition causes a person’s voice muscles to contract involuntary, leading to a distorted voice.

RFK Jr is an anti-vaccine activist and an environmental lawyer. He filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday to join Joe Biden and Marianne Williamson in the Democratic race. The 69-year-old is a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his slain brother Robert F. Kennedy.

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As soon as the news of Kennedy Jr’s run for 2024 broke, social media users started discussing about his voice.

“If I have to listen to RFK Jr’s voice on a debate stage, I will throw up,” a Twitter user said.

“Now there is a Democrat I could get excited about. My only concern is if RFK Jr.’s voice could survive a primary, let alone a general,” another one added.

“Has he ever heard RFK Jr speak? A quivering voice that is not evocative at all of his father or uncle Jack,” a third one said.

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RFK Jr has a condition called spasmodic dysphonia. It is a form of an involuntary movement disorder called dystonia that affects only the voice box. The condition is not life-threatening.

Spasmodic dysphonia experts, as per ABC News, estimate the condition affects only .02 percent of the population. It often strikes in midlife between ages 20 and 50, and it appears in women twice as often as in men, the report adds.

According to Penn Medicine, the exact cause of the condition is not known. Muscle tension dysphonia can be caused due to surgery, virus, inflammatory illness and/or lesions, the website adds.

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Treatment:

While there is no cure for this condition, doctors can offer one some relief from symptoms using the latest treatments.

Speech therapy or psychological counseling can help, Penn Medicine states. “Botox injections are also an effective treatment we offer for dysphonia. These injections are delivered via the mouth through electromyography, an imaging tool used to ensure accurate placement of the injection in the muscle.”