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Related Experiment Videos

Airway reactivity induced reversible voice dysfunction in singers

J R Cohn1, R T Sataloff, J R Spiegel

  • 1Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Allergy and Asthma Proceedings
|January 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Singers experiencing vocal issues may have airway hyperresponsiveness, a condition similar to asthma. Treatment for asthma improved their singing performance, suggesting a link between lung function and voice production.

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Area of Science:

  • Pulmonology
  • Vocal Science
  • Exercise Physiology

Background:

  • The lower respiratory tract is crucial for voice production, especially during sustained singing due to high ventilatory demands.
  • Pulmonary function changes, minor in normal speech, can significantly impair singing performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and characterize the impact of pulmonary function on voice production in a large cohort of singers.
  • To evaluate singers with voice problems for increased airway reactivity and response to asthma treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic evaluation of 20 professional or serious amateur singers with voice complaints but no laryngeal pathology.
  • Assessment included demographic data, medical history, pulmonary function tests, and response to anti-asthma therapy.

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  • An additional singer underwent a singing challenge with pre- and post-exercise pulmonary function measurements.

    • Main Results:

    • Singers presented with vocal complaints linked to bronchodilator-responsive airway obstruction.
    • The group responded positively to asthma treatment, with improvements in performance-related vocal difficulties.
    • A single subject showed a transient decline in expiratory flow after 20 minutes of singing, reversed by a bronchodilator.

    Conclusions:

    • Singers with vocal fatigue, decreased control, or tension should be assessed for increased airway reactivity.
    • Airway hyperresponsiveness, responsive to asthma therapy, is a potential cause of impaired vocalization in singers.