Vocal range profile in elderly women with and without voice symptom

Mariana Rebeka Gomes Queiroz,Jonia Alves Lucena,Adriana De Oliveira Camargo Gomes

doi:10.1590/1982-0216/201921418218

Mariana Rebeka Gomes Queiroz, Jonia Alves Lucena + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0216/201921418218

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Journal: Revista CEFAC	Publication Date: Jan 1, 2019
License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: to characterize and compare the vocal range profile in elderly women with and without voice symptoms. Methods: a total of 23 elderly women attending an elderly care public service participated in the study. They were divided into groups - with and without voice symptoms, according to the results of the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS). All participants were submitted to a vocal range profile analysis, by means of the Vocalgrama software. Appropriate statistical tests were applied, by adopting a significance level lower than 0.05. Results: the values for vocal range profile were 3.74% (±1.56) and 3.62% (±1.95) in the groups with and without symptoms, respectively. There were no differences between the groups in the various parameters of the vocal range profile. Conclusion: in the elderly women studied, the vocal range profile showed to be reduced, regardless of having or not voice symptoms. The importance of the elderly investing in the possibilities of vocal training is highlighted, with emphasis on vocal flexibility, aiming at increasing vocal range in this population.

Highlights

Each cycle of life has its own particularities, and the phase of senescence is not an exception
Regarding the minimum frequency measurements, the averages were found to be approximate between the groups, agreeing with what was observed in another research on vocal range profile in elderly women, using phonetography, whose average result was of 154 Hz18
Concerning maximum frequency, this study presented average value of 386.35Hz for the group of elderly women with voice symptoms, and 374.65 Hz for the group of elderly women without voice symptoms

Summary

Introduction

Each cycle of life has its own particularities, and the phase of senescence is not an exception In this stage, decline in the daily activities are perceived, interfering with their quality of life, as well as diminishing their cognitive, sensorial and motor aspects[1,2]. The presence of reduced vocal intensity is related to the deficient respiratory support, due to the diminished elasticity and the stiffening of the respiratory musculature, as well as the decrease in vital capacity and maximum phonation time. Such set of factors favors a decreasing infraglottic pressure and, a reduction in voice intensity[4,5]

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