Work-related voice disorder: an integrative review

Abstract

Objectives:

to identify and summarize evidence from studies on the association between work and voice disorder.

Methods:

integrative review of the literature published in PubMed and SciELO between 2003 and 2017. We included open access observational studies in Portuguese or English concerning frequency of dysphonia (prevalence or incidence).

Results:

we analyzed 47 articles. The participants’ average age was 40.6 years, 78.7 of the articles studied both sexes and 80.9% investigated teachers. The mean prevalence of work-related voice disorder was 44.2% and the incidence of 17.0%. Noise was pointed out as an associated factor of dysphonia in 25.5% of the studies, followed by long work hours (17.0%) and allergies (14.9%).

Conclusion:

the results show a strong association between voice disorders and work, confirming a high prevalence of dysphonia especially in workers who use their voice professionally, as well as its association to job organization and work environment, contributing to: a) strengthen the formal acknowledgment of work-related voice disorder; b) provide technical grounds to law; c) to reinforce the urgency of public policies to protect the workers’ voice.

Keywords:
voice disorders; work environment; labor conditions; occupational risks; occupational health