Correlation between voice and life quality and occupation.

UNLABELLED: Dysphonia may impair the quality of communication and social relations of people, thereby directly affecting quality of life. It is common knowledge amongst professionals involved with the treatment of voice disorders the need for objective protocols to evaluate voice quality and measure its impact on the individual's quality of life.

AIM: To associate life quality with the degree of dysphonia and professional voice use in a group of dysphonic patients.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A prospective clinical study was undertaken with a group of dysphonic patients using an internationally validated voice-related quality-of-life protocol. A statistical analysis of the results was carried out, not distinguishing between those who use their voices professionally and those who don't.

RESULTS

Dysphonia had an impact on the quality of life of all patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups - professional users and non-users of their voices; however, considering the groups separately, this correlation was significant only in the group of patients who do not use their voices professionally.

CONCLUSION

Dysphonia affected the quality of life of all subjects regardless of their voice use.