Prevalence and Relative Risk of Dysphonia in Rheumatoid Arthritis

SUMMARY: Laryngeal involvement in rheumatoid arthritis is not uncommon and may include cricoarytenoid arthritis or vocal fold lesions such as vocal fold rheumatoid nodules or bamboo nodes. Dysphonia or voicing problems can be the result of such laryngeal involvement. This cohort study investigates the prevalence and the relative risk of dysphonia when suffering from rheumatoid arthritis compared to that of healthy subjects. One hundred and sixty-six subjects with rheumatic arthritis and 148 healthy control subjects completed two quality-of-life questionnaires: the Voice Handicap Index and a three-item outcome scale. Both instruments measure the quality of the voice itself and the extent of impairment resulting from dysphonia as experienced by the patient in social and occupational settings. Patients proved to have statistically significant higher prevalence and relative risk of dysphonia. Depending on the questionnaire being used, prevalence data of dysphonia in patients varied between 12% and 27%, whereas the healthy subjects showed prevalence data varying from about 3% to 8%. A patient's relative risk varied from about 3 to 4 when compared to healthy subjects. Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis have a clearly higher risk of dysphonia compared to healthy subjects.