Impact of Allergic Rhinitis on Voice in Children

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The purpose of the present study was to determine the possible effect of allergic rhinitis (AR) on voice change in children with acoustic analysis and Turkish children’s voice handicap index-10 (TR-CVHI-10). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This is a case-control study. Forty-one children with AR, and a positive skin prick test, as well as 39 children of controls who had produced a negative skin prick test and lacked a history of allergic disease, were selected for the study. Each assessment included recordings for the purposes of acoustic voice analysis (fundamental frequency [f0], jitter %, shimmer %, and harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR)), and aerodynamic analysis (maximum phonation time (MPT) and s/z ratio). All participants completed TR-CVHI-10. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The mean TR-CVHI-10 score of the AR group was significantly higher than the control group (<i>p</i> = 0.013). No difference was observed between the AR and control groups in terms of jitter, shimmer, HNR, and MPT values and s/z ratio (<i>p</i> &#x3e; 0.05). Conversely, the f0 value was more pronounced in controls (270.9 ± 60.3 Hz) than in the AR group (237.7 ± 54.3 Hz) (<i>p</i> = 0.012). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The study’s results revealed that AR can have an effect on fundamental frequency and voice quality in children. The diagnostic process should include AR as a potential cause of voice disorders in children.