The effect of medical treatment on voice quality in allergic rhinitis

Abstract

To evaluate the change in the voice quality of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) after medical treatment. The study enrolled 69 subjects: 39 with high serum-specific IgE levels to inhalant allergens as the study group and 30 healthy individuals as controls. All patients were evaluated using the total nasal symptom score (TNSS) and voice handicap index-10 (VHI-10) and then underwent an acoustic voice analysis. After 1 month of treatment with mometasone furoate nasal spray (two 50-μg puffs in each nostril once daily) and desloratadine (5-mg tablet once daily), the patients repeated the surveys and acoustic voice analysis. The results before and after treatment were compared. The TNSS and VHI-10 scores decreased significantly after treatment (p < 0.01). After treatment, the acoustic analysis parameters improved significantly and were similar to the control group, and the maximum phonation time increased significantly (p < 0.05). The voice quality of patients with AR is improved with medical treatment.

Keywords: Acoustic voice analysis; Allergic rhinitis; Total nasal symptom score; Voice handicap index.

Figures

Fig. 1

Graphical demonstration of changes between groups