title: Characterization of voice disorders in deployed and nondeployed US army soldiers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate voice disorder differences between deployed and nondeployed US army soldiers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  More than 1.3 million health records of active duty US army soldiers with no history of dysphonia were queried for voice disorder diagnoses over a 3.5-year period. A sample of 292 soldiers was further evaluated for known factors linked to dysphonia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  US army soldiers were 1.13 times more likely to have a diagnosis of dysphonia if they were deployed. Risk factors and exposures common to patients with dysphonia were not statistically different between deployed and nondeployed soldiers. Additionally, the type of dysphonia diagnosis was not significantly different between deployed and nondeployed soldiers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  US army soldiers deployed to war zones are more likely to be diagnosed with dysphonia. None of the reviewed parameters accounted for the difference in dysphonia rate between deployed and nondeployed soldiers, suggesting that occupational exposures of deployed soldiers account for the increase in the diagnoses of dysphonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, San Antonio Military Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234, USA. greg.r.dion@us.army.mil
authors.forename: Gregory R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Dion
authors.forename: Courtney L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Rosemarie G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: N Scott
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Howard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055154:Dysphonia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology