Dysphonia Severity Index and Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice Outcomes, and Their Relation in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.
Samira Aghadoost, Yasamin Molazeinal, Seyyedeh Maryam Khoddami and 3 others
PMID 36642593WHAT IT FOUND
Hospitalized patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 showed significantly worse voice quality than healthy matched controls on both objective (DSI) and perceptual (CAPE-V) measures.
The two assessments correlated strongly in patients, suggesting either can help identify dysphonia during acute infection.
Key findings
01Patients with COVID-19 had significantly lower Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) scores compared to healthy controls.
02Patients with COVID-19 had significantly higher (worse) CAPE-V overall severity scores compared to healthy controls.
03DSI and CAPE-V scores were significantly correlated in the COVID-19 group, indicating objective and perceptual assessments align in this population.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted during the acute pandemic phase, which prevented laryngo-video-stroboscopy, so the underlying structural or functional vocal fold pathology (e.g., inflammation, paralysis) could not be verified. Patients were assessed only 3 to 5 days after hospitalization, so the exact phase of the disease and the transient nature of the voice changes are not fully characterized. The study excluded patients with severe COVID-19 or those in the ICU, so findings do not apply to the most critically ill patients. Voice samples were collected in hospital settings where maintaining strict acoustic isolation was difficult due to infection control protocols, potentially affecting recording quality. The study did not track patients longitudinally, so it is unclear how long these voice changes persist after discharge or recovery.
Declared interests
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these voice changes are permanent or indicative of long-term post-acute sequelae; the patients were assessed only 3 to 5 days into hospitalization, and the study did not follow up after recovery to determine if the dysphonia resolved.