Voice Changes in Elderly Adults: Prevalence and the Effect of Social, Behavioral, and Health Status on Voice Quality

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of dysphonia and the effect of several risk factors on vocal quality in a representative population of older adults.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Korea.

Participants: Individuals aged 65 and older who underwent laryngoscopy from 2008 to 2010 (N = 3,759).

Measurements: The prevalence of dysphonia and the effect of potential risk factors on voice quality in elderly adults were measured.

Results: The mean age of participants was 72.4. The prevalence of dysphonia was 8.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 7.4-9.8). There was no significant difference in prevalence according to age. Multivariable analysis after adjusting for age, sex, vocal fold disease, and all variables that were identified in the univariate analysis revealed that urban residence (odds ratio (OR) = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.11-3.04), underweight (OR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.45-5.38) or normal weight (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.03-2.59), poor (OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.19-3.34) or intermediate (OR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.15-3.78) subjective health status, asthma (OR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.12-3.86), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.10-5.62), thyroid disease (OR = 3.08, 95% CI = 1.50-6.34), and vocal fold disease (OR = 3.72, 95% CI = 2.16-6.42) were independently associated with dysphonia in elderly adults.

Conclusion: This study provides valuable information regarding the prevalence of dysphonia and the risk factors that contribute to vocal quality in older adults. These factors are mostly associated with social, behavioral, and underlying health status variables. Multidisciplinary treatment should be considered to improve voice conditions in elderly adults.