Inflammation of the vagus nerve that may affect swallowing, speech, or digestive function.
Medical records that document the degree of sensory and motor loss affecting the voice, breathing, throat, stomach, and heart carry the most weight, because those are the organs the regulation ties ratings to. Examination findings showing how severely those functions are reduced — for example, hoarseness or voice loss, swallowing difficulty, abnormal heart rate, or breathing problems — help distinguish complete from incomplete paralysis and severe from moderate incomplete paralysis. Objective test results such as laryngoscopy, pulmonary function tests, cardiac evaluations, or nerve conduction studies can show measurable loss of function. Statements from you or people who know you describing how symptoms affect daily activities — eating, speaking, working, or physical exertion — can help show functional impact at each level. Records covering both sides of the body are relevant if the condition affects both the left and right vagus nerve.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
