Association between asthma and dysphonia: A population-based study

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Pulmonology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition affecting millions globally.
• The relationship between asthma and laryngeal health, particularly dysphonia and organic lesions, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if asthma predisposes individuals to organic laryngeal lesions.
• To assess if asthma increases the risk of dysphonia in patients without organic laryngeal lesions.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2011).
• Inclusion of 19,330 subjects.
• Analysis of associations between asthma, organic laryngeal lesions, and dysphonia using logistic regression, adjusting for confounding factors like age, sex, smoking, stress, and BMI.

Main Results:

• Asthma patients were older, more likely female, and reported higher stress levels, all independently associated with dysphonia.
• Asthma itself was associated with dysphonia, with a higher adjusted odds ratio (AOR) observed in those who had recently taken asthma medication (AOR=1.97).
• No significant association was found between asthma and organic laryngeal lesions, including vocal nodules, laryngeal polyps, or laryngitis.

Conclusions:

• Asthma patients are predisposed to subjective dysphonia, influenced by demographic factors, clinical characteristics, and asthma itself.
• Asthma was not found to be associated with the development of organic laryngeal lesions in this study population.