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Presbylarynx: is diabetes mellitus a risk factor for vocal atrophy? A prospective case-control study
M Santos1, A Machado1, S Vaz Freitas1,2,3
1Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar ('ICBAS'), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Objective:
To evaluate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 in subjects with presbylarynx.
Method:
A case-control, prospective study was carried out on consecutive subjects who presented to the otorhinolaryngology department.
Results:
The study comprised 174 subjects (60 males and 114 females) with a mean age of 73.99 years (65-95 years). Presbylarynx was identified in 71 patients (41 per cent). Among patients with diabetes mellitus type 2, 20 patients (77 per cent) exhibited endoscopic signs of presbylarynx. A statistically significant difference was found between presbylarynx versus no presbylarynx concerning diabetes mellitus type 2 (p < 0.001). Subjects with diabetes mellitus type 2 were approximately eight times more likely to have presbylarynx compared to subjects without diabetes mellitus type 2.
Conclusion:
In this study, 77 per cent of patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 had endoscopic signs of presbylarynx. A multivariable analysis, which took into account co-morbidities of the elderly, identified diabetes mellitus type 2 as a possible risk factor for presbylarynx. Many physiopathological mechanisms might explain this result, as diabetes mellitus type 2 is known to affect muscular, neurological and vascular systems.
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