Background
Voice disorders (dysphonia) are one of the commonest symptoms in otolaryngological practice, and they include diseases ranging from simple benign conditions to the most malignant conditions. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and type of laryngeal affection and its associated predisposing factor.
Methods
A retrospective hospital-based survey was conducted to collect hospital record data from January 2019 to December 2023. The included 6222 cases had come to the phoniatric unit complaining of dysphonia or aphonia and were diagnosed by rigid or flexible laryngeoscopy according to the patient's age.
Results
Among the included 6222 cases, the age of the studied cases was 48.52±22.57, with 22.6% being in childhood (<18 years) and 29.8% being old age (>60 years). Male patients were 53.8%; 32.9% were smokers. 15.2% experienced professional voice use. Functional voice disorders were 28.8%; the most common form of laryngeal disorders was vocal fold nodule (10.9%), which was especially prevalent in the children (15.2%); Reinke's edema was 9.2%; and acute and chronic laryngitis were 7.76%. Laryngeal malignancy was present in 2.5% of the studied sample. Smoking and voice misuse were significant predisposing factors for multiple types of voice disorders.
Conclusions
Laryngeal disorders are common and affect all age groups, both sexes, causing obvious limitations in communication. Functional voice disorders and vocal fold nodules represent almost half of the studied cases. These disorders have been predisposed by voice misuse, which is a modifiable preventable disorder. This declared the importance of increasing public awareness about the importance of proper voice use.