KBB-Forum 2019 , Cilt 18, Sayı 2

SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE VOICE EVALUATION IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

İmran AYDOĞDU 1, MD; Esmail Abdullahi AHMAD 1, MD;
1Bahçelievler Government Hospital ENT Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey Objective: To evaluate the sound quality of rheumatoid arhritis patients" voices via an objective method using acoustic analysis and a subjective method using a voice handicap index-10 questionnaire.

Methods: This prospective study assessed 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis with the aid of laryngoscopy, acoustic analysis and the Voice Handicap Index questionnaire.

Results: Thirty RA patients and 34 healthy controls groups were included in the study. In the acoustic analysis, it was observed that there was deterioration in the fundamental frequency (f0), jitter and shimmer parameters in the patient group.

Conclusion: Airway problems and mild voice changes in rheumatoid arthritis patients are stimulating physiotherapists and specialists in terms of laryngeal involvement.. With the development of computer systems in recent years, patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be screened for laryngeal involvement by acoustic analysis and patients whose acoustic analysis results are impaired can be given advanced examinations. Keywords : Rheumatoid arthritis, larynx, vocal cord, voice analysis, voice handicap index