title: Voice handicap index in singers.
abstract: The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) was developed to assess patients' perception of the severity of their voice disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of handicap expressed by professional and recreational presenters with a voice complaint. Singers (n = 106) and nonsingers (n = 369) with voice symptoms were studied. The results of the VHI for singers indicate that singers score significantly lower (less severe) on the VHI compared to nonsingers. Singers with vocal fold nodules had a lower mean VHI than singers with vocal fold cysts or polyps. Singers who perform classical music had the lowest mean VHI of all types of singers studied. A low VHI in singers may represent a significant handicap and should not be ignored when considering the severity of a singer's voice problem.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Voice Center, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*