title: Does CPAP treatment affect the voice?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate alterations in voice parameters among patients using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with an indication for CPAP treatment without any voice problems and with normal laryngeal findings were included and voice parameters were evaluated before and 1 and 6 months after CPAP. Videolaryngostroboscopic findings, a self-rated scale (Voice Handicap Index-10, VHI-10), perceptual voice quality assessment (GRBAS: grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, strain), and acoustic parameters were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from 70 subjects (48 men and 22 women) with a mean age of 44.2 ± 6.0 years were evaluated. When compared with the pre-CPAP treatment period, there was a significant increase in the VHI-10 score after 1 month of treatment and in VHI- 10 and total GRBAS scores, jitter percent (P = 0.01), shimmer percent, noise-to-harmonic ratio, and voice turbulence index after 6 months of treatment. Vague negative effects on voice parameters after the first month of CPAP treatment became more evident after 6 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated nonsevere alterations in the voice quality of patients under CPAP treatment. Given that CPAP is a long-term treatment it is important to keep these alterations in mind.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Güleser
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Saylam
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Şahin
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Demiral
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Bayır
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Section of Sleep Disorders, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Melike Bağnu
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Yüceege
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Çadallı Tatar
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Hakan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive; D014832:Voice Disorders; D014833:Voice Quality
keywords: CPAP; Obstructive sleep apnea; acoustic analysis; subjective evaluation; voice