title: The relation of vocal fold lesions and voice quality to voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Voice disorders have a multifactorial genesis and may be present in various ways. They can cause a significant communication handicap and impaired quality of life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of vocal fold lesions and voice quality on voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female patients, aged 18-65 years, who were referred to the outpatient clinic with voice problems were subsequently assessed. Laryngostroboscopic examination and acoustic voice analysis were carried out, and the patients were asked to fill in the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and Symptom Check List-90 questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-two patients were included. In 43 patients (52.4%), a vocal fold lesion was observed. The VHI and psychosomatic well-being did not differ significantly between patients with and without a vocal fold lesion. The patients with a vocal fold lesion showed lower scores on the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) compared with those without a vocal fold lesion. However, the DSI was not correlated with voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being, except for the VHI physical subscale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Objective measurement does not necessarily correlate with the subjective appraisal of the patient's voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being. Furthermore, the criterion of the presence of a vocal fold lesion as the base of indemnity that is applied by health insurance institutions should be questioned.
authors.affiliation: Department of OtoRhinoLaryngology, Bernhoven Hospital, Veghel, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Marres
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Jong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000473:pathology; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000473:pathology*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult