Dysphonia and Throat Clearing in Singers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil.
Sabryna Farneze Nunes Sant'anna, André de Campos Duprat, Marta Assumpção de Andrada E Silva and 1 others
PMID 37722981WHAT IT FOUND
Singers who caught COVID-19 reported more voice impairment and throat clearing than those who did not.
Increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic was also linked to new throat clearing. These findings rely on self-reported symptoms in an online survey.
Key findings
01Having a COVID-19 infection was associated with self-perceived voice impairment.
02Having a COVID-19 infection was associated with the onset of throat clearing after infection.
03Increased consumption of alcoholic beverages during the pandemic was associated with the onset of throat clearing after infection.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used convenience and snowball sampling via social media, which may not represent the general singing population. All data on voice changes and throat clearing were self-reported without objective acoustic or laryngeal assessment. The cross-sectional design cannot prove that COVID-19 or alcohol caused the voice changes, only that they are associated. The study excluded singers who were intubated, limiting findings to non-severe cases.
Declared interests
No conflict of interest declared. The study was funded by the authors' own resources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this study proves that COVID-19 infection directly causes permanent voice damage or that alcohol causes throat clearing. The associations are based on self-reported symptoms in a non-random sample, and the cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or rule out other confounding factors like stress or prior vocal issues.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →