Abstract
Objective: Although multiple theories in the past have linked hearing loss to dysphonia, clear evidence of an association is lacking. It is well known that both hearing loss and dysphonia contribute to decreased quality of life. The objective of this study is to elucidate the association of hearing loss with dysphonia.
Method: Patients presenting with hearing loss from March 2007 to present were included. All patients underwent formal audiologic testing and completed the Voice Handicap Index - 10 (VHI-10) survey. SPSS 13.0 software was then used to interrogate all gathered data. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney test.
Results: A total of 48 patients are enrolled in the study to date. Fourteen of these patients were noted to have normal speech reception threshold on audiogram. Nineteen patients were noted to have a speech reception threshold consistent with mild hearing loss, 8 patients had a moderate hearing loss, and 7 patients had a severe hearing loss. On statistical analysis there was a trend toward association of hearing loss (P <.2) and dysphonia. Among groups of patients, those with moderate loss were noted to have the highest VHI-10 scores (P = .1).
Conclusion: At present, there is no statistically significant association with hearing loss and dysphonia in our study. Interestingly, there is a trend toward an increased VHI-10 score in patients with hearing loss, most notably in patients with moderate hearing loss. Continued patient enrollment will improve statistical power.
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