Effects of Moderate and Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Subjective and Objective Voice Outcomes Excluding...

This study aimed to determine the impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity (moderate vs severe) on subjective and objective voice outcomes after excluding common confounders such as obesity, smoking, alcohol, and laryngopharyngeal reflux.

In total, 104 patients (49 female, 55 male) with moderate (n = 53) or severe (n = 51) OSA participated. Subjective voice was assessed using Turkish versions of the Voice Handicap Index (Tr-VHI) and the Voice-Related Quality of Life (Tr-V-RQOL). Objective voice analysis of sustained Turkish vowels measured fundamental frequency (F0), formants, perturbation (jitter, shimmer), harmonicity (HNR), and spectral parameters. Group comparisons and correlations with the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), controlling for age and gender, were performed.

Polysomnography confirmed greater disease severity in the severe OSA group. No significant differences emerged in subjective voice outcomes (Tr-VHI, Tr-V-RQOL) between moderate and severe OSA groups. Objective acoustic analyses, however, revealed significant alterations in the severe OSA group, including increased shimmer, reduced HNR, and changes in specific formant frequencies. The AHI correlated significantly with several objective acoustic parameters but not with subjective voice scores.

This confounder-controlled study reveals that severe OSA results in a more pronounced detrimental impact on objective acoustic parameters than moderate OSA. While subjective voice outcomes did not differ by OSA severity, the identified objective vocal alterations in severe OSA suggest clinical relevance, enhancing the understanding of voice changes as an OSA-related comorbidity.