The Health-related Quality of Life and Voice Handicap Index in Recovered COVID-19 Patients in Comparison to Healthy Subjects.
Seyyedeh Maryam Khoddami, Samira Aghadoost, Mahshid Aghajanzadeh and 1 others
PMID 37400351WHAT IT FOUND
Recovered COVID-19 patients reported significantly worse quality of life and higher voice handicap than healthy subjects two months post-discharge.
Voice problems correlated strongly with poor physical and mental health scores in patients but not in healthy controls.
Key findings
01Recovered COVID-19 patients had significantly lower scores on all subscales of the SF-36 quality of life questionnaire compared to healthy subjects.
02Voice Handicap Index scores were significantly higher in recovered patients than in healthy subjects, indicating greater perceived voice disability.
03In recovered patients, higher voice handicap scores were significantly correlated with lower physical and mental quality of life scores, a relationship not seen in healthy subjects.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (n=68 total), which limits the generalizability of the findings. Data collection occurred during the acceleration phase of the pandemic, which may have independently affected the quality of life scores of healthy controls due to fear and social distancing. The study was cross-sectional with only one assessment point, so it cannot determine the long-term trajectory of voice and quality of life issues. No laryngeal imaging was performed, so the physiological basis for the reported voice handicap was not confirmed. The study did not analyze the effect of gender on the outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee at Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the lower quality of life scores in recovered patients are caused solely by voice disorders. The study shows a correlation, but other factors such as fatigue, pain, and psychological distress from the pandemic itself likely contributed to the reduced SF-36 scores.
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 →