title: Vocal Symptoms and Voice Quality in Children With Allergy and Asthma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The background for dysphonia is multifactorial, and health-related factors have been listed among the factors affecting voice. In previous studies with adult participants, allergy and asthma have been indicated to have a connection to vocal symptoms. With the majority of previous research being studies involving adult participants, it is unclear what the effect of allergy and asthma on children's voices is. The aim of this study was to investigate if allergies and asthma are risk factors for having vocal symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  The material was collected through paper questionnaires distributed to the parents of new pediatric patients at an allergy clinic. The participants were 108 children aged 9 months to 17 years and 1 month.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the children whose parents had filled in the questions on vocal symptoms, 18.2% (n = 18) had frequently occurring vocal symptoms, which was defined as having two or more vocal symptoms every week or more often. The most common vocal symptoms were throat clearing and coughing. There was a significant connection between inhalant allergy and having frequently occurring vocal symptoms. The connection between cough that lasted for more than 4 weeks and having frequently occurring vocal symptoms was also significant. In this study, we found no significant connection between having an asthma diagnosis and having frequently occurring vocal symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the results of this study, voice screening for children with inhalant allergy would be advisable. Prolonged cough should be taken seriously and be treated, as the mechanical trauma caused by cough seems to have a connection to vocal symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Logopedics, Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Åbo, Finland. Electronic address: ekallvik@abo.fi.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kallvik
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Diseases and Clinical Allergology, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Åbo, Finland.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Savolainen
authors.affiliation: Logopedics, Faculty of Arts, Psychology and Theology, Åbo Akademi University, Åbo, Finland; Department of Special Needs Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Simberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010699:Phonation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014833:Voice Quality
keywords: Asthma; Children; Cough; Inhalant allergy; Vocal symptoms