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Almutawa D, Lagos-Villaseca A, Albathi M, Martignetti L, Masuda M, Zhu N, Li-Jessen NYK, Kost KM. Geriatric Voice: Distinctive Clinical Profiles of Working Seniors in a Tertiary Laryngology Clinic. J Voice 2024:S0892-1997(23)00410-1. [PMID: 38216385 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2023.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Voice disorders have been reported in up to 47% of the geriatric population. Few studies have assessed dysphonia in the elderly, with none examining vocal function in working seniors. This study aims to profile the clinical characteristics of individuals aged 65 years and older, comparing working and non-working seniors. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. METHODS Medical charts were reviewed for patients aged 65 years and older referred to the McGill University Health Centre Laryngology Clinic (January 2018-March 2020). Variables studied included sociodemographics, comorbidities, voice complaints, lifestyle factors, diagnoses, voice acoustics [maximum phonation time (MPT), S/Z ratio, F0], GRBAS scale, Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10), Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), and treatment modalities. RESULTS A total of 267 patients were included, with a mean [standard deviation (SD)] age of 74.2 (6.6) years and 61% of female patients. Occupation information was available in 148 cases, of which 31.1% were still working and 12.8% were professional voice users. The predominant voice complaint was dysphonia/hoarseness (48.8%) and the most prevalent diagnosis was presbyphonia (31.8%). The mean (SD) VHI-10 and RSI scores were 19.8 (9.0) and 18.7 (9.4) points, respectively. Voice therapy was prescribed for 155 patients (58.7%): 124 attended at least one session with significant post-treatment improvements in the GRBAS and VHI-10 scores (P < 0.01). In the univariate analysis, working seniors had a significantly more prevalent singing habit (P = 0.04) and laryngopharyngeal reflux diagnosis (P = 0.01), displaying a significantly longer MPT (P < 0.001) and lower G-B-S scores (P < 0.05). After adjusting mean differences, only MPT and the G-S scores were significantly different between both groups. CONCLUSIONS The predominant diagnosis in elders with voice complaints was presbyphonia. Voice therapy proved effective in improving the VHI-10 and GRBAS scores for geriatric patients. Almost one-third of seniors remained in the workforce, demonstrating superior vocal profiles, specifically in the MPT and the grade and strain of perceptual voice quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deema Almutawa
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Antonia Lagos-Villaseca
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Monirah Albathi
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Lisa Martignetti
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Maia Masuda
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Nanqing Zhu
- Precision Analytics, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nicole Y K Li-Jessen
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; The Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Research Institute of McGill University Health Center, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Karen M Kost
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
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