RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to define patient characteristics of a dysphonic population in terms of voice disorder, gender, age, and subjective and objective vocal parameters and to explore the relevant characteristics of the most frequent groups of voice disorders. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patient records from 4,447 subjects referred for voice assessment and/or voice therapy were analyzed. RESULTS: Significantly more cases of dysphonia were structural as compared to nonstructural. This significant difference was found in almost all age groups. Significantly more women were diagnosed with dysphonia than men. The most common symptom was light-to-moderate hoarseness. The average voice handicap index was 31 and the average dysphonia severity index was -0.6. Vocal fold nodules (VFN), functional voice disorders (FVD) and vocal fold paralysis (VFP) were the three most frequently diagnosed vocal pathologies and were analyzed in detail. Women were found to be significantly more vulnerable to FVD, VFN and cysts, whereas men were significantly more often diagnosed with carcinoma, hyperkeratosis, laryngitis, papillomatosis, presbyphonia, puberphonia and VFP. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study allow a better estimation of the clinical needs and costs for a specific dysphonic population looking for help and highlight the gender-related risks of specific voice disorders.
Assuntos
Disfonia/diagnóstico , Disfonia/terapia , Encaminhamento e Consulta , Treinamento da Voz , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Estudos Transversais , Disfonia/epidemiologia , Disfonia/etiologia , Feminino , Rouquidão/diagnóstico , Rouquidão/epidemiologia , Rouquidão/terapia , Humanos , Doenças da Laringe/diagnóstico , Doenças da Laringe/epidemiologia , Doenças da Laringe/etiologia , Doenças da Laringe/terapia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Retrospectivos , Fatores Sexuais , Espectrografia do Som , Paralisia das Pregas Vocais/diagnóstico , Paralisia das Pregas Vocais/epidemiologia , Paralisia das Pregas Vocais/etiologia , Paralisia das Pregas Vocais/terapia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
In this study, the effect of age, sex, and disorder on the vocal performance of 230 children 6 to 11 years of age was investigated by means of the voice range profile (VRP). Ninety-four control children and 136 children with disorders were studied. The VRPs were quantitatively described by frequency and intensity characteristics, as well as by morphological characteristics. Significant differences between healthy children and children with disorders were found. Age has a different effect in girls than in boys regarding vocal performance. Most of the characteristics for the healthy girls change gradually over the period from 6 to 11 years. For the healthy boys, however, two age groups can be identified: one below and one above 8 years of age. It is hypothesized that the androgen dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate may play a role in this phenomenon.
Assuntos
Distúrbios da Voz/epidemiologia , Qualidade da Voz , Distribuição por Idade , Criança , Desidroepiandrosterona/metabolismo , Feminino , Humanos , Laringoscopia , Masculino , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Distribuição por Sexo , Estatísticas não Paramétricas , Prega Vocal/metabolismo , Prega Vocal/fisiopatologia , Distúrbios da Voz/metabolismo , Distúrbios da Voz/fisiopatologiaRESUMO
Normative voice range profiles (VRPs) are calculated for a group of untrained boys and girls between 6 and 11 years based on 35 and 39 recordings, respectively. All individuals had healthy voices. These normative VRPs contain 95% prediction intervals (PI) for both frequency and intensity. They are based on a series of mathematical transformations of the original individual VRPs in order to maintain in the normative VRPs the typical oval VRP shape including the dip between modal and falsetto register. The presented normative VRPs are directly applicable in the clinical practice of otolaryngologists and speech-language pathologists.
