The CEO of Google, Larry Page has been suffering vocal cord problems for 14 years and forced him to sit out company events and only whispers through calls. Page is experiencing partial paralysis of his vocal cords which considered an extremely rare condition. Is it caused by an underlying condition?

Larry Page plans to fund research of his malady, speaking softly and choosing words carefully.

"About 14 years ago, I got a bad cold and my voice became hoarse. At the I didn't think much about it. But my voice never fully recovered. So I went to a doctor and was diagnosed with left vocal cord paralysis. Despite extensive examination, the doctors never identified a cause though there was speculation of virus-based damage from my cold. It is quite common in cases like these that a definitive cause is not found," Larry Page posted on his Google+.

Vocal Cord Paralysis

One or both vocal folds can get weakness which leads of paralysis eventually if left untreated. Symptoms include hoarseness, vocal fatigue, and reduction of vocal volume, throat pain when speaking, coughing and in extreme cases - death.

Causes of Vocal Cord Paralysis

Some notable causes of this rare condition include viral infection, cancer or tumour, trauma, cardiac surgery and neurological diseases.

Emotional events may also cause the diminished voice strength and control depending on the degree of experience. Reduce vocal demands and time may allow the voice to restore by itself together with the emotional healing.

Treatment and Intervention

For emotional based vocal cord paralysis, psychological intervention is common and it is important to maintain such treatment. However, some psychoactive medications may cause voice-weakening side effects as well.

Medication can also be prescribed to treat voice weakness which masks exacerbating medical deterioration. In a significant voice weakness, surgery may be required to provide temporary or permanent aid of the vocal cords. This includes mechanically moving the vocal cord and underlying muscular tissue toward midline, allowing stronger "strike" against opposite vocal cords.

Larry Page suggests that his voice weakness is caused by a common benign inflammatory condition of the thyroid glands but he has been slowly recovering from it over the past year.

The CEO has arranged funding for a significant research program through the Voice Health Institute to help other people with similar conditions.