Clinical Practice Guideline: Hoarseness (Dysphonia) (Update)

Objective

This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on treating patients who present with dysphonia, which is characterized by altered vocal quality, pitch, loudness, or vocal effort that impairs communication and/or quality of life. Dysphonia affects nearly one-third of the population at some point in its life. This guideline applies to all age groups evaluated in a setting where dysphonia would be identified or managed. It is intended for all clinicians who are likely to diagnose and treat patients with dysphonia.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this guideline is to improve the quality of care for patients with dysphonia, based on current best evidence. Expert consensus to fill evidence gaps, when used, is explicitly stated and supported with a detailed evidence profile for transparency. Specific objectives of the guideline are to reduce inappropriate variations in care, produce optimal health outcomes, and minimize harm. For this guideline update, the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation selected a panel representing the fields of advanced practice nursing, bronchoesophagology, consumer advocacy, family medicine, geriatric medicine, internal medicine, laryngology, neurology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, pediatrics, professional voice, pulmonology, and speech-language pathology.

Action Statements

The guideline update group made strong recommendations for the following key action statements (KASs): (1) Clinicians should assess the patient with dysphonia by history and physical examination to identify factors where expedited laryngeal evaluation is indicated. These include, but are not limited to, recent surgical procedures involving the head, neck, or chest; recent endotracheal intubation; presence of concomitant neck mass; respiratory distress or stridor; history of tobacco abuse; and whether the patient is a professional voice user. (2) Clinicians should advocate voice therapy for patients with dysphonia from a cause amenable to voice therapy. The guideline update group made recommendations for the following KASs: (1) Clinicians should identify dysphonia in a patient with altered voice quality, pitch, loudness, or vocal effort that impairs communication or reduces quality of life (QOL). (2) Clinicians should assess the patient with dysphonia by history and physical examination for underlying causes of dysphonia and factors that modify management. (3) Clinicians should perform laryngoscopy, or refer to a clinician who can perform laryngoscopy, when dysphonia fails to resolve or improve within 4 weeks or irrespective of duration if a serious underlying cause is suspected. (4) Clinicians should perform diagnostic laryngoscopy, or refer to a clinician who can perform diagnostic laryngoscopy, before prescribing voice therapy and document/communicate the results to the speech-language pathologist (SLP). (5) Clinicians should advocate for surgery as a therapeutic option for patients with dysphonia with conditions amenable to surgical intervention, such as suspected malignancy, symptomatic benign vocal fold lesions that do not respond to conservative management, or glottic insufficiency. (6) Clinicians should offer, or refer to a clinician who can offer, botulinum toxin injections for the treatment of dysphonia caused by spasmodic dysphonia and other types of laryngeal dystonia. (7) Clinicians should inform patients with dysphonia about control/preventive measures. (8) Clinicians should document resolution, improvement or worsened symptoms of dysphonia, or change in QOL of patients with dysphonia after treatment or observation. The guideline update group made a strong recommendation against 1 action: (1) Clinicians should not routinely prescribe antibiotics to treat dysphonia. The guideline update group made recommendations against other actions: (1) Clinicians should not obtain computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for patients with a primary voice complaint prior to visualization of the larynx. (2) Clinicians should not prescribe antireflux medications to treat isolated dysphonia, based on symptoms alone attributed to suspected gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), without visualization of the larynx. (3) Clinicians should not routinely prescribe corticosteroids for patients with dysphonia prior to visualization of the larynx. The policy level for the following recommendation about laryngoscopy at any time was an option: (1) Clinicians may perform diagnostic laryngoscopy at any time in a patient with dysphonia.

Disclaimer

This clinical practice guideline is not intended as an exhaustive source of guidance for managing dysphonia (hoarseness). Rather, it is designed to assist clinicians by providing an evidence-based framework for decision-making strategies. The guideline is not intended to replace clinical judgment or establish a protocol for all individuals with this condition, and it may not provide the only appropriate approach to diagnosing and managing this problem. Differences from Prior Guideline (1) Incorporation of new evidence profiles to include the role of patient preferences, confidence in the evidence, differences of opinion, quality improvement opportunities, and any exclusion to which the action statement does not apply (2) Inclusion of 3 new guidelines, 16 new systematic reviews, and 4 new randomized controlled trials (3) Inclusion of a consumer advocate on the guideline update group (4) Changes to 9 KASs from the original guideline (5) New KAS 3 (escalation of care) and KAS 13 (outcomes) (6) Addition of an algorithm outlining KASs for patients with dysphonia

Using Combined Diagnostic Test Results to Hindcast Trends of Infection from Cross-Sectional Data

Infectious disease surveillance is key to limiting the consequences from infectious pathogens and maintaining animal and public health. Following the detection of a disease outbreak, a response in proportion to the severity of the outbreak is required. It is thus critical to obtain accurate information concerning the origin of the outbreak and its forward trajectory. However, there is often a lack of situational awareness that may lead to over- or under-reaction. There is a widening range of tests available for detecting pathogens, with typically different temporal characteristics, e.g. in terms of when peak test response occurs relative to time of exposure. We have developed a statistical framework that combines response level data from multiple diagnostic tests and is able to 'hindcast' (infer the historical trend of) an infectious disease epidemic. Assuming diagnostic test data from a cross-sectional sample of individuals infected with a pathogen during an outbreak, we use a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach to estimate time of exposure, and the overall epidemic trend in the population prior to the time of sampling. We evaluate the performance of this statistical framework on simulated data from epidemic trend curves and show that we can recover the parameter values of those trends. We also apply the framework to epidemic trend curves taken from two historical outbreaks: a bluetongue outbreak in cattle, and a whooping cough outbreak in humans. Together, these results show that hindcasting can estimate the time since infection for individuals and provide accurate estimates of epidemic trends, and can be used to distinguish whether an outbreak is increasing or past its peak. We conclude that if temporal characteristics of diagnostics are known, it is possible to recover epidemic trends of both human and animal pathogens from cross-sectional data collected at a single point in time.

Association Between Vaccine Refusal and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the United States: A Review of Measles and Pertussis

IMPORTANCE

Parents hesitant to vaccinate their children may delay routine immunizations or seek exemptions from state vaccine mandates. Recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States have drawn attention to this phenomenon. Improved understanding of the association between vaccine refusal and the epidemiology of these diseases is needed.

OBJECTIVE

To review the published literature to evaluate the association between vaccine delay, refusal, or exemption and the epidemiology of measles and pertussis, 2 vaccine-preventable diseases with recent US outbreaks.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

Search of PubMed through November 30, 2015, for reports of US measles outbreaks that have occurred since measles was declared eliminated in the United States (after January 1, 2000), endemic and epidemic pertussis since the lowest point in US pertussis incidence (after January 1, 1977), and for studies that assessed disease risk in the context of vaccine delay or exemption.

FINDINGS

We identified 18 published measles studies (9 annual summaries and 9 outbreak reports), which described 1416 measles cases (individual age range, 2 weeks-84 years; 178 cases younger than 12 months) and more than half (56.8%) had no history of measles vaccination. Of the 970 measles cases with detailed vaccination data, 574 cases were unvaccinated despite being vaccine eligible and 405 (70.6%) of these had nonmedical exemptions (eg, exemptions for religious or philosophical reasons, as opposed to medical contraindications; 41.8% of total). Among 32 reports of pertussis outbreaks, which included 10,609 individuals for whom vaccination status was reported (age range, 10 days-87 years), the 5 largest statewide epidemics had substantial proportions (range, 24%-45%) of unvaccinated or undervaccinated individuals. However, several pertussis outbreaks also occurred in highly vaccinated populations, indicating waning immunity. Nine reports (describing 12 outbreaks) provided detailed vaccination data on unimmunized cases; among 8 of these outbreaks from 59% through 93% of unvaccinated individuals were intentionally unvaccinated.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

A substantial proportion of the US measles cases in the era after elimination were intentionally unvaccinated. The phenomenon of vaccine refusal was associated with an increased risk for measles among people who refuse vaccines and among fully vaccinated individuals. Although pertussis resurgence has been attributed to waning immunity and other factors, vaccine refusal was still associated with an increased risk for pertussis in some populations.

The estimated incidence of pertussis in people aged 50 years old in the United States, 2006-2010

Background

Pertussis is believed to be widely underreported and under-recognized, particularly among adults. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of private practitioner-attended cough illness that could be attributed to Bordetella pertussis in adults aged ≥50 years in the US.

Methods

Multiple linear regressions were employed to estimate the overall incidence of pertussis. Data were extracted from IMS’ private practice database of longitudinal, patient-level claims and IMS’ commercial laboratory database during 4/1/2006–12/31/2010. Patients were ≥50 years old and had ≥1 ICD-9-CM claim for cough illness relating to pertussis, cough, or acute bronchitis. Pertussis positive laboratory tests, seasonal and secular variables were used for estimating the B. pertussis attributable fraction of cough illness.

Results

During the study period, there were 20.7 million cases of cough illness among people aged 50–64 and 27.5 million cases among those ≥65; of which the model attributed 2.5 and 1.7 %, respectively, to B. pertussis. The estimated incidences of cough illness attributed to B. pertussis during the study period were on average 202 and 257/100,000 among people aged 50–64 and ≥65 years, respectively, and increased over the years in both age groups. Depending on the year, estimated pertussis incidences were 42 to 105 times higher than medically attended ones in the same database.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that the B. pertussis disease incidence in adults aged ≥50 years is significantly higher than generally estimated. Additional research regarding pertussis reporting and diagnosis in the adult populations is needed to validate these findings.

Pertussis-the case for universal vaccination

PURPOSE

Does the literature support universal vaccination of adolescents and adults, reducing disease incidence in infants and young children?

DESIGN & METHODS

An extensive literature review and a meta-analysis of four case-control studies, evaluating effects of missed or late vaccine doses, was conducted.

RESULTS

The literature confirms (a) increasing pertussis rates; (b) adults and adolescents are the primary carriers; (c) vaccine effectiveness wanes over time; and (d) pertussis persists despite disease control efforts.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Missed or late doses mean an increase in likelihood of contracting pertussis, supporting full vaccination for children and boosters for adolescents/adults.

Use of population health data to refine diagnostic decision-making for pertussis

OBJECTIVE

To improve identification of pertussis cases by developing a decision model that incorporates recent, local, population-level disease incidence.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort analysis of 443 infants tested for pertussis (2003-7).

MEASUREMENTS

Three models (based on clinical data only, local disease incidence only, and a combination of clinical data and local disease incidence) to predict pertussis positivity were created with demographic, historical, physical exam, and state-wide pertussis data. Models were compared using sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve (AUC), and related metrics.

RESULTS

The model using only clinical data included cyanosis, cough for 1 week, and absence of fever, and was 89% sensitive (95% CI 79 to 99), 27% specific (95% CI 22 to 32) with an area under the ROC curve of 0.80. The model using only local incidence data performed best when the proportion positive of pertussis cultures in the region exceeded 10% in the 8-14 days prior to the infant's associated visit, achieving 13% sensitivity, 53% specificity, and AUC 0.65. The combined model, built with patient-derived variables and local incidence data, included cyanosis, cough for 1 week, and the variable indicating that the proportion positive of pertussis cultures in the region exceeded 10% 8-14 days prior to the infant's associated visit. This model was 100% sensitive (p<0.04, 95% CI 92 to 100), 38% specific (p<0.001, 95% CI 33 to 43), with AUC 0.82.

CONCLUSIONS

Incorporating recent, local population-level disease incidence improved the ability of a decision model to correctly identify infants with pertussis. Our findings support fostering bidirectional exchange between public health and clinical practice, and validate a method for integrating large-scale public health datasets with rich clinical data to improve decision-making and public health.

Management of bacterial infections in children with asthma

Respiratory viruses are the single most common causes of asthma exacerbations in children. Rhinovirus-induced wheezing is a risk factor for chronic asthma, but its mechanism has remained unknown. Human bocavirus is a common finding in wheezing children, but its role as a respiratory pathogen is still unclear. Mycoplasma pneumoniae may, like viruses, induce wheezing and asthma exacerbation. Chlamydia pneumoniae and, in recent studies, Chlamydia trachomatis, may not only induce asthma exacerbations but may also be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic asthma. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis are often involved in respiratory infections associated with wheezing, but there is no evidence for their active role in asthma pathogenesis or exacerbation. This review summarizes current knowledge on the association between respiratory infections and asthma in children, with a special focus on the role of antibiotics in incipient asthma, asthma exacerbation and chronic stable asthma.

Urgent care providers' knowledge and attitude about public health reporting and pertussis control measures: implications for informatics

OBJECTIVES

We assessed urgent care providers' knowledge about public health reporting, guidelines, and actions for the prevention and control of pertussis; attitudes about public health reporting and population-based data; and perception of reporting practices in their clinic.

METHODS

We identified the 106 providers (95% are physicians) employed in 28 urgent care clinics owned by Intermountain Healthcare located throughout Utah and Southern Idaho. We performed a descriptive, cross-sectional survey and assessed providers' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors associated with population-based data and public health mandates and recommendations. The online survey was completed between November 1, 2007, and February 29, 2008.

RESULTS

Among 63 practicing urgent care providers (60% response rate), 19 percent knew that clinically diagnosed pertussis was reportable, and only half (52%) the providers correctly responded about current pertussis vaccination recommendations. Most (35%-78%) providers did not know the prevention and control measures performed by public health practitioners after reporting occurs, including contact tracing, testing, treatment, and prophylaxis. Half (48%) the providers did not know that health department personnel can prescribe antibiotics for contacts of a reported case, and only 22 percent knew that health department personnel may perform diagnostic testing on contacts. Attitudes about reporting are variable, and reporting responsibility is diffused.

CONCLUSION

To improve our ability to meet public health goals, systems need to be designed that engage urgent care providers in the public health process, improve their knowledge and attitude about reporting, and facilitate the flow of information between urgent care and public health settings.

Clinical Practice Guideline: Hoarseness (Dysphonia)

Objective:

This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on managing hoarseness (dysphonia), defined as a disorder characterized by altered vocal quality, pitch, loudness, or vocal effort that impairs communication or reduces voice-related quality of life (QOL). Hoarseness affects nearly one-third of the population at some point in their lives. This guideline applies to all age groups evaluated in a setting where hoarseness would be identified or managed. It is intended for all clinicians who are likely to diagnose and manage patients with hoarseness.

Purpose:

The primary purpose of this guideline is to improve diagnostic accuracy for hoarseness (dysphonia), reduce inappropriate antibiotic use, reduce inappropriate steroid use, reduce inappropriate use of anti-reflux medications, reduce inappropriate use of radiographic imaging, and promote appropriate use of laryngoscopy, voice therapy, and surgery. In creating this guideline the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation selected a panel representing the fields of neurology, speech-language pathology, professional voice teaching, family medicine, pulmonology, geriatric medicine, nursing, internal medicine, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, pediatrics, and consumers.

Results

The panel made strong recommendations that 1) the clinician should not routinely prescribe antibiotics to treat hoarseness and 2) the clinician should advocate voice therapy for patients diagnosed with hoarseness that reduces voice-related QOL. The panel made recommendations that 1) the clinician should diagnose hoarseness (dysphonia) in a patient with altered voice quality, pitch, loudness, or vocal effort that impairs communication or reduces voice-related QOL; 2) the clinician should assess the patient with hoarseness by history and/or physical examination for factors that modify management, such as one or more of the following: recent surgical procedures involving the neck or affecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve, recent endotracheal intubation, radiation treatment to the neck, a history of tobacco abuse, and occupation as a singer or vocal performer; 3) the clinician should visualize the patient's larynx, or refer the patient to a clinician who can visualize the larynx, when hoarseness fails to resolve by a maximum of three months after onset, or irrespective of duration if a serious underlying cause is suspected; 4) the clinician should not obtain computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the patient with a primary complaint of hoarseness prior to visualizing the larynx; 5) the clinician should not prescribe anti-reflux medications for patients with hoarseness without signs or symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease; 6) the clinician should not routinely prescribe oral corticosteroids to treat hoarseness; 7) the clinician should visualize the larynx before prescribing voice therapy and document/communicate the results to the speech-language pathologist; and 8) the clinician should prescribe, or refer the patient to a clinician who can prescribe, botulinum toxin injections for the treatment of hoarseness caused by adductor spasmodic dysphonia. The panel offered as options that 1) the clinician may perform laryngoscopy at any time in a patient with hoarseness, or may refer the patient to a clinician who can visualize the larynx; 2) the clinician may prescribe anti-reflux medication for patients with hoarseness and signs of chronic laryngitis; and 3) the clinician may educate/counsel patients with hoarseness about control/preventive measures.

Disclaimer:

This clinical practice guideline is not intended as a sole source of guidance in managing hoarseness (dysphonia). Rather, it is designed to assist clinicians by providing an evidence-based framework for decision-making strategies. The guideline is not intended to replace clinical judgment or establish a protocol for all individuals with this condition, and may not provide the only appropriate approach to diagnosing and managing this problem.

Outbreak of atypical pertussis detected by polymerase chain reaction in immunized preschool-aged children

BACKGROUND

From October 2005 to March 2006, a laboratory-confirmed outbreak of pertussis occurred in preschool-aged children (1-4 years) in Toronto, Canada. A case-control study in children was done to identify the risk factors for being positive for Bordetella pertussis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

METHODS

A case was defined as an individual 0 to 18 years of age who tested positive for B. pertussis by PCR in Toronto from October 2005 to March 2006. Each case was matched to 2 controls (negative for B. pertussis by PCR) by: (1) age, (2) geographic region of testing, and (3) date of testing.

RESULTS

One hundred eighty-nine cases and 296 controls were enrolled. Only 42% of cases (vs. 25% controls, P < 0.0001) met a clinical definition of pertussis, 3 cases (4 controls) were hospitalized, and the secondary household attack rate was 8%. One-third of cases were positive for another respiratory pathogen and >90% of cases and controls were up-to-date with pertussis immunization. Children attending school (matched odds ratio [ORm] = 5.2; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.4-19.0), day care (ORm = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.2-4.0), visiting a doctor's office (ORm = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.0-2.5), or exposed to a household member (median age: 4-5 years) with a pertussis-like cough (ORm = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.0-3.6) were significantly more likely to have a positive PCR test for B. pertussis.

CONCLUSIONS

The main risk factors for PCR positivity for B. pertussis were school or day care attendance. Atypical symptoms were likely moderated by high immunization rates or may have been caused by other respiratory pathogens. In some cases, a positive PCR result might simply have reflected transient nasopharyngeal carriage of B. pertussis.

Epidemiology of pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in Canada with exclusive use of a diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-inactivated poliovirus-Haemophilus influenzae type b pediatric combination vaccine and an adolescent-adult tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine: implications for disease prevention in the United States

BACKGROUND

During the decade 1998-2007, a combination DTaP(5)-IPV/Hib vaccine was used exclusively in Canada to immunize infants and young children against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease.

METHODS

Medline was used to search for publications during 1996-2008 related to the epidemiology and vaccine prevention of pertussis and invasive Hib disease in Canada. Related abstracts and presentations were reviewed, when available, and epidemiologic data since 1985 were obtained from the Public Health Agency of Canada public Web site.

RESULTS

Reports of pertussis have declined substantially in preschool and school-aged children during the past decade, and cyclical peaks in disease incidence have been blunted or eliminated. In provinces and territories where Tdap(5) vaccine has been administered to 14- to 16-year-olds, marked reductions of pertussis have been documented in adolescents as well as younger age groups, possibly due to herd immunity. Incidence rates of invasive Hib disease among Canadian children <5 years declined markedly after introduction of Hib conjugate vaccines, and the disease has remained under control with exclusive use of DTaP(5)-IPV/Hib vaccine. Most cases of invasive Hib disease occur among unimmunized or only partially vaccinated children. The reduction of Hib case reports has been documented throughout Canada, including among Aboriginal children who are at high risk for this disease.

CONCLUSIONS

The Canadian experience with DTaP(5)-IPV/Hib and Tdap(5) vaccines is relevant to the United States because immunization schedules, vaccination coverage rates, and epidemiologic patterns of pertussis and Hib diseases are similar in the 2 countries, and because both vaccines are licensed for use in the United States.