Laryngopathies by vocal abuse: clinical multidisciplinary evaluation in workers at risk

Abstract

Background: Attention to vocal pathologies in occupational categories that provide for a continuous use and often abuse of phonation has grown in recent decades. Objectives: Aim of this study was to evaluate presence of laryngopathies by vocal abuse in subjects occupationally exposed, namely teachers and singers, compared with non-exercising jobs at risk, also checking if self-assessment tests and spectrographic signals could be predictive of disease observed with endoscopy. Methods: We therefore proceeded to enroll on a voluntary basis, after information campaign, subjects, which in addition to an ananmnestic framework, underwent a multidisciplinary evaluation, which included, besides a fiber optic laryngoscopic examination, the preventive administration of self report test on perception the quality of their voice, or the voice Handicap Index for professional speaking voice and not exposed to risk, and the Singing Handicap Index for the singers, and also the spectrographic analysis of voice output (spoken or sung). Results: The results, in addition to confirming the guessed higher prevalence of disease in voice professionals, provide the opportunity to integrate the common medical diagnostic investigations, such as fiber optic laryngoscopy, with self report test and spectrographic survey, which showed a significant relationship with endoscopic data. In fact, the results confirmed that the VHI and the MSHI, integrated with the spectrographic test can be a valuable tool to assess the implications of bio-psycho-social aspects of professional and non-voice disorders, contributing significantly to validate the provisional diagnosis of diseas. Conclusions: This study recommends not only the implementation of vocal education during the training of teacher to prepare the vocal professional user, but also a multidisciplinary approach to voice disorders in occupational exposure population.