Factors Involved in Vocal Fatigue: A Pilot Study.
The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the vocal characteristics of a treatment-seeking population with the primary complaint of vocal fatigue (VF).



Forty-three men (mean age 42 years, range 19-69) and 145 women (mean age 34 years, range 18-68) were included. None of the subjects had received voice therapy or previous laryngeal surgery. A questionnaire, laryngeal and perceptual evaluations, aerodynamic and acoustic parameters, and the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) were used to determine vocal characteristics.



In 74% of the subjects, flexible laryngeal videostroboscopic evaluation revealed a vocal pathology, with vocal nodules and muscle tension dysphonia as the most frequently diagnosed pathologies. Vocal abuse/misuse was present in 65% of the subjects. A median DSI value of -0.4 and -0.8 was found in female and male patients, respectively. Aerodynamic and acoustic parameters and DSI scores were significantly different from normative data.



VF is a vocal sign with a significant need for medical consultation, especially in future professional voice users. Understanding the occurrence and the influencing variables of VF may help to close the gap between early stages of a vocal problem and the starting point of a well-established disorder.
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Evelien
E
D'haeseleer
Mara
M
Behlau
Laura
L
Bruneel
Iris
I
Meerschman
Anke
A
Luyten
Stien
S
Lambrecht
Mauriceia
M
Cassol
Paul
P
Corthals
Maryna
M
Kryshtopava
Floris L
FL
Wuyts
Sofie
S
Claeys
Kristiane
K
Van Lierde
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D055154:Dysphonia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D014832:Voice Disorders; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult