Voice assessment and voice-related quality of life in patients with benign thyroid disease.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the relationship between vocal self-assessment, the assessment of voice by a speech-language pathologist (SLP), and the effect of voice on the quality of life of patients with benign thyroid diseases.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
University hospital.


METHODS
A total of 67 women with a mean age of 44.7 ± 14.8 years and a diagnosis of benign thyroid disease were included in the study. Vocal self-assessment and SLP assessment were performed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The Voice-related Quality of Life Questionnaire (V-RQOL) was used to identify the effect of voice on quality of life. The Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric tests were used. Correlations between assessments were verified by the Spearman correlation test. The significance level was 5%.


RESULTS
Patients with vocal complaints had lower scores in all assessments. Patients with thyroid nodules performed worse on the SLP assessment and on the physical functioning domain of V-RQOL. A moderate correlation was found between the self-assessment and quality of life and between the physical functioning domain of V-RQOL and the SLP assessment. A weak correlation existed between the self-assessment and the SLP assessment.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with benign thyroid diseases had lower scores in vocal self-assessment, the clinical evaluation of voice, and the V-RQOL. These dimensions of voice assessment showed correlations ranging from mild to moderate and should complement the clinical routine.
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil leandroape@globo.com.
Leandro de Araújo
Lde A
Pernambuco
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Marluce Nascimento
MN
de Almeida
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Keliane Gomes
KG
Matias
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Erika Beatriz de Morais
EB
Costa
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014833:Voice Quality
quality of life; self-assessment; thyroid gland; voice; voice disorders