Correlation Between Age, Gender, and Self-Perceived Voice Handicap in Lebanese Patients With Hoarseness

Investigate the correlation between age, gender, and self-perceived voice handicap in a large cohort of Lebanese patients presenting to a tertiary referral center with hoarseness.

Retrospective chart review METHODOLOGY: The medical records of all patients who presented to the Voice and Swallowing Unit between November 2023 and December 2025 were reviewed. All patients who reported hoarseness as a chief complaint were included in the study. Demographic data included age, gender, history of smoking, history of reflux disease, history of allergy, history of voice abuse, history of endocrine disorders, voice diagnosis, marital status, occupation, and educational level. All patients were asked to fill out the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10), a validated 10-item self-assessment questionnaire used to evaluate the perceived impact of hoarseness on quality of life.

Eighty-seven males and 90 females were included in the study. The mean age of the study group was 51.33 ± 14.48 years. Almost two out of three patients were less than 60 years old (67.8%) and 90.4% were less than 70 years old. The most common voice diagnosis was Reinke's edema (32.8%) followed by vocal fold polyp and vocal fold leukoplakia (28.8% and 13%, respectively). The mean VHI-10 score of the study group was 15.80 ± 8.22. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean VHI-10 scores between men and women. There was also no significant difference in the mean VHI-10 score between those below or above the age of 60 years, nor between those below or above the age of 70 years. A linear regression analysis accounting for demographic and socioeconomic factors showed a weak nonsignificant association between gender and VHI-10 score (adjusted coefficient=0.188, adjusted P = 0.275, 95% CI: [-0.149-0.522]). There was no significant association between age and VHI-10 score (adjusted coefficient=0.028, adjusted P = 0.758, 95% CI: [-0.208-0.152]).

The results of this investigation showed no significant correlation between age and VHI-10 score, nor between gender and VHI-10 score, even after accounting for confounding factors such as occupation and education.