title: Voice-related quality of life in organic and functional voice disorders.
abstract: The voice-related quality of life (V-RQOL) questionnaire was proposed as a disease specific measure of patients' subjective burden elicited by a voice disorder. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of gender and aetiology (benign organic versus functional) on V-RQOL results. Fifty-two German-speaking patients completed the questionnaire without prior information about their individual diagnosis. Results allow for the conclusion that women score lower indicating a poorer voice status. Differences between patients diagnosed with an organic or a functional voice disorder revealed no universal difference. This has to be investigated in future, especially against the degree of the voice disorder, the individual personality, health belief and social background.
authors.affiliation: Department of Phoniatrics and Pedaudiology, Erlangen University Hospital, Germany.
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rasch
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Günther
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Eysholdt
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosanowski
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D014833:Voice Quality