Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Hungkuang University, Taichung, Taiwan.
PhD Program for Aging, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2023 Jul 10;32(4):1758-1769. doi: 10.1044/2023_AJSLP-22-00393. Epub 2023 Jun 7.
Voice disorders significantly impair the ability to communicate effectively and reduce the quality of life in older adults; however, its prevalence has not been well established. The aim of our research was to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of voice disorders among the older population.
Five medical databases were systematically searched for studies that reported the prevalence of voice disorders in older adults. The overall prevalence was exhibited in proportions and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) utilizing random-effects models. Heterogeneity was measured using statistics.
Of 930 articles screened, 13 fulfilled the eligibility criteria, including 10 studies in community-based settings and three in institutionalized settings. An overall prevalence of voice disorders in older adults was estimated to be 18.79% (95% CI [16.34, 21.37], = 96%). Subgroup analysis showed a prevalence of 33.03% (95% CI [26.85, 39.51], = 35%) in institutionalized older adults, which was significantly higher than that in the community-based older adults with 15.2% (95% CI [12.65, 17.92], = 92%). Some factors that influenced the reported prevalence were identified, including types of survey, the definition of voice disorders, sampling methods, and the mean age of the population among included studies.
The prevalence of voice disorders in the older population depends on various factors but is relatively common in older adults. The findings of this study accentuate the necessity for researchers to standardize the protocol for reporting geriatric dysphonia as well as for older adults to express their voice-related problems so that they will receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
嗓音障碍显著降低老年人有效沟通的能力，降低其生活质量；然而，其患病率尚未得到充分证实。本研究旨在调查老年人嗓音障碍的患病率及其相关因素。
系统检索了五个医学数据库，以寻找报告老年人嗓音障碍患病率的研究。使用随机效应模型以比例和 95%置信区间（CI）展示总体患病率。采用 统计量衡量异质性。
在筛选出的 930 篇文章中，有 13 篇符合纳入标准，包括 10 项社区为基础的研究和 3 项机构为基础的研究。老年人嗓音障碍的总体患病率估计为 18.79%（95%CI[16.34,21.37]， = 96%）。亚组分析显示，机构内老年人的患病率为 33.03%（95%CI[26.85,39.51]， = 35%），显著高于社区内老年人的 15.2%（95%CI[12.65,17.92]， = 92%）。确定了一些影响报告患病率的因素，包括调查类型、嗓音障碍的定义、抽样方法以及纳入研究人群的平均年龄。
老年人嗓音障碍的患病率取决于多种因素，但在老年人中较为常见。本研究结果强调了研究人员有必要规范报告老年嗓音障碍的方案，以及老年人表达其与嗓音相关问题的必要性，以便他们能得到适当的诊断和治疗。
