Epidemiological study of voice disorders among teaching professionals of La Rioja, Spain.
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| Abstract |
The purpose of the present study was to calculate the prevalence and incidence of voice disorders among teaching staff and find out the associated occupational risk factors. A case-control study was performed with 905 teachers, 579 cases and 326 controls; 492 were randomly selected and 413 volunteered. All teachers were asked to fill out a standard questionnaire. Next, a complete laryngeal exam was performed including a general ear, nose, and throat evaluation and videolaryngostroboscopy. The prevalence of voice disorders among teaching staff was 57%. The most prevalent lesions were vocal overstrain (18%), nodular lesions (14%), and hyperfunctional dysphonia (8%). The incidence rate was 3.87 new cases per year per 1000 teachers. Women had organic lesions three times more than men (odds ratio [OR]: 3.52, confidence interval [CI]: 2.04-6.09). However, men had chronic laryngitis three times more than women (OR: 2.93, CI: 1.50-5.71) and functional dysphonia nearly twice more than women (OR: 1.81, CI: 1.21-2.69). We find a significant risk of suffering voice disorders in teachers who smoke daily (OR: 2.31, CI: 1.58-3.37) and who drink several cups of coffee or tea (OR: 1.87, CI: 1.36-2.56). It is advisable to carry out an annual evaluation of all teaching staff on account of the high prevalence of voice disorders among them.
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| Authors | Julián Preciado-López, Carmen Pérez-Fernández, Miguel Calzada-Uriondo, Pilar Preciado-Ruiz |
| Journal | Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice Foundation (J Voice) Vol. 22 Issue 4 Pg. 489-508 (Jul 2008) ISSN: 0892-1997 [Print] United States |
| PMID | 17574808 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't) |
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