title: The use of a screening questionnaire to determine the incidence of allergic rhinitis in singers with dysphonia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the incidence of allergic rhinitis in singers with nonspecific laryngeal examination findings and to correlate the incidence of allergic rhinitis with their vocal symptoms when present.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of all the medical records of singers with nonspecific laryngeal findings who presented to a specialty voice center for either vocal training or therapy between June 2002 and September 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  Specialty voice center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five singers with nonspecific laryngeal findings who presented to a specialty voice center for either vocal training or therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A standardized validated questionnaire for evaluation of allergic rhinitis was filled out by all the subjects. A score above 0 was considered positive.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total prevalence of allergic rhinitis was 87% (39 of 45 subjects). The singers with vocal symptoms were approximately 15% more likely to have allergic rhinitis than those with no vocal symptoms (92% vs 84%). Singers with more than 2 vocal symptoms had a 25% higher likelihood of having allergic rhinitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of allergic rhinitis in singers is extremely high. Hidden respiratory allergies may affect the professional voice. Proper awareness and a multidisciplinary approach are indispensable for proper diagnosis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. alhamdan@svclb.com
authors.forename: Abdul-Latif
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hamdan
authors.forename: Abla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sibai
authors.forename: Marwan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Youssef
authors.forename: Reem
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deeb
authors.forename: Fares
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zaitoun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015984:Causality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014833:Voice Quality