Quality of Life across Genders in Individuals with Vocal Hyperfunctional Voice Disorders

Hyperfunctional voice disorders are conditions of abuse and/ or misuse of the vocal mechanism due to excessive and/ or imbalanced muscular forces. In some cases, these excessive and/ or imbalanced muscular forces can produce vocal fold lesions such as nodules, contact ulcers, hemorrhages or polyps and in some cases can lead to excessive intrinsic and extrinsic laryngeal muscle contraction, producing a tight, strangled sound similar to adductor spasmodic dysphonia called muscle tension dysphonia. Hyperfunctional voice disorders are more common in occupational voice users. Medical, individual, psychological and emotional factors has also been reported to play a role in the development of voice disorders. Quality of life is one way to assess the overall outcome of the physical, mental, and social well-being of a patient following treatment for a health-related problem. Treatment usually relates to the physical well-being of a patient, and physical well-being usually takes priority in attempts to assess the success of a treatment. The measurement of outcomes following treatment for voice disorders is in its infancy. In this study, the outcome measures available for voice disorders are reviewed within a framework of perceived handicap and quality of life. At the outset, it should be noted that quality of life is a global measure of outcome. Although quality of life is comprehensive, encompassing social, psychosocial, mental, and physical treatments, it must not be substituted for the diagnostic assessment of physical symptoms that persist despite treatment. Moreover, global quality-of-life assessments may not reflect changes in a specific condition such as a voice disorder. The Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) measure is a validated outcomes instrument specific for voice disorders. In a diverse population of voice disorders it has been shown to be valid, reliable, responsive to change, and of low burden. Ongoing investigation with this outcomes tool is designed to better understand the functional, social, and emotional consequences of hyperfunctional voice disorders and to help build a core of evidence-based outcomes literature for the treatment of voice disorders. The goals of the current study are therefore to (1) determine the V-RQOL of patients with hyperfunctional voice disorders, (2) enhance understanding of the utility of the V-RQOL measure.