Objective voice parameters and self-perceived handicap in dysphonia.

OBJECTIVE This study focuses on the relation between objective voice quality and the self-perception of a voice handicap. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study group consisted of 86 German-speaking patients (51 women, 35 men) suffering from benign dysphonia. The test persons completed the German version of the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) Questionnaire without prior information about their diagnosis and underwent voice analysis with the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) being the parameter of this study. RESULTS No correlation between V-RQOL and DSI could be found (p>0.05). On the V-RQOL, women scored worse than men, but not at a significant level. Patients with dysphonia of organic origin scored significantly worse than patients with functional dysphonia (p=0.026). On the DSI, men's values were significantly lower than women's (p=0.001). Organic dysphonia caused significantly lower DSI values than functional dysphonia (p=0.011). CONCLUSION Objective voice quality and the individual perception of voice quality by the patient are independent parameters. Both need to be assessed in clinical practice.