Description of laryngeal pathologies by age, sex, and occupation in a treatment-seeking sample.

The purpose of the present investigation was to describe the occurrence of laryngeal pathologies and their distribution across age, sex, and occupation in a group of persons seeking physician treatment. Data were collected on 1,262 patients seen by eight otolaryngologists from three different residential areas. The five most frequent pathologies reported were nodules, edema, polyps, laryngeal cancer, and vocal fold paralysis. For the total sample, pathologies occurred more frequently in females than in males; however, certain pathologies were more common to one sex than the other. The voice-disordered population appears to be getting older. The top five occupations associated with laryngeal pathologies were retired persons, homemakers, factory workers, unemployed, and executive/managers. Comparisons with similar investigations were made.