The Aging Voice

Abstract

Objectives To evaluate the impact on voice quality of 2 pathogenic factors involved in age-related dysphonia: glottal gap and decline in respiratory function. Study Design Cross-sectional prospective. Settings Tertiary referral center. Subjects and Methods A total of 105 healthy patients ≥65 years old were included, with a maximum phonation time ≤15 seconds for men and ≤12 seconds for women. Laryngostroboscopy and spirometry were conducted to assess the glottal gap and respiratory function, and 4 profiles were defined according to their combination: glottal deficit, respiratory deficit, combined deficit, and no deficit. Differences across profiles in phonation times, acoustic parameters, and GRBAS scale and Voice Handicap Index–10 scores were analyzed according to Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney nonparametric tests. Multiple regression was performed to estimate the influence of each pathogenic factor. Results Respiratory deficit was the most frequent profile (37%). When compared to the other groups, patients with combined deficit had shorter phonation times for men (8.5 seconds; Kruskal-Wallis, P = .009) and women (7.8 seconds; P = .003), worse jitter (8.3%; P = .001), GRBAS scale (5.8; P < .001), and Voice Handicap Index–10 (7.7; P = .002). Conclusion Age-related respiratory and laryngeal changes have a negative impact on vocal quality, especially when both deficits are present.