Behcet's disease impairs voice quality without laryngeal and hypopharyngeal involvement

Abstract

The objective of the study was to investigate voice evaluation parameters in Behcet's disease patients. A prospective controlled study was performed in a tertiary referral center. A total of 31 patients (21 female, 10 male) with a diagnosis of Behcet's disease had voice evaluations by means of laryngostroboscopy, acoustic analysis, aerodynamic measurements and perceptual assessment. Data obtained from the patients were compared to 31 healthy control subjects. Laryngeal endoscopy was within normal limits in all patients. The mean fundamental frequency in male control subjects (134 +/- A 14 Hz) was significantly higher than in male patients (124 +/- A 20 Hz), (p = 0.043). Mean intensity was significantly higher in control subjects (74 +/- A 5 dB) than in the patients (63 +/- A 4.6 dB), (p < 0.001). Shimmer in patients (3.4 +/- A 2.5) was significantly higher than in control subjects (2 +/- A 1.3), (p = 0.01). Maximum phonation time in control subjects (25 +/- A 5.8 s) was significantly longer than in patients (20 +/- A 7.9 s), (p = 0.007), and s/z ratio was found to be nearly equal between patients (0.9 +/- A 0.2) and control subjects (0.96 +/- A 0.1), (p > 0.05). The patients showed a mean GRBAS score of 1.8 +/- A 1.9 and the control group showed a mean score of 0.48 +/- A 1.06, (p = 0.002). The VHI-10 scale revealed a mean score of 2.2 +/- A 4.8 in BD patients and 2 +/- A 2 in control subjects (p > 0.05). Behcet's disease impaired voice quality without laryngostroboscopically visible laryngeal and hypopharyngeal involvement. This impairment was documented by objective voice evaluation methods including acoustic analysis and aerodynamic voice measurements and by subjective voice evaluation method including perceptual assessment.