Voice Quality Evaluation in Patients With COVID-19: An Acoustic Analysis.
Maral Asiaee, Amir Vahedian-Azimi, Seyed Shahab Atashi and 2 others
PMID 33051108WHAT IT FOUND
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients showed measurable voice changes compared to healthy controls.
Their voices had lower maximum phonation time, lower harmonics-to-noise ratio, and higher jitter, shimmer, and voice breaks. These acoustic differences suggest respiratory and laryngeal involvement.
Key findings
01Patients had significantly lower maximum phonation time (MPT) than healthy controls, with a large effect size.
02Acoustic analysis revealed significantly lower harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR) and cepstral peak prominence (CPP) in patients, indicating increased noise and breathiness.
03Voice breaks were more frequent in patients; 51.9% of female patients and 48.7% of male patients showed at least one voice break, compared to 23% and 28.8% of healthy controls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only hospitalized patients, so the findings may not apply to those with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19. 13 patients dropped out of the study because they were transferred to the ICU or passed away, which may bias the results toward those who were stable enough to remain in the general ward. The control group was younger (mean age 42.35 years) than the patient group (mean age 52.3 years), which could influence voice parameters independent of the disease. The study did not account for intubation status or other respiratory interventions, which are known to affect voice quality. The cross-sectional nature of the comparison does not track how these voice changes evolve over time or with recovery.
Declared interests
The study was approved by the National Institute for Medical Research Development (NIMAD) Ethics Committee in Iran. No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest declarations were provided in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these acoustic changes represent a permanent voice disorder or that they will persist after recovery. The study measured patients during acute hospitalization, and the authors attribute changes to symptoms like coughing and respiratory insufficiency, which may resolve as the patient recovers.