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Abstract :
[en] Objective. Research has paid increased attention to occupational voice disorders. This study describes the occupational status of patients examined in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Liège University Hospital (Belgium) from 2009 to 2013.
Study design. Retrospective study.
Methods. The sex, age, diagnosis and occupational status were identified for 1,079 patients who were examined for a voice problem (754 women and 325 men; ages 4 to 93). The diagnosis was established using videolaryngostroboscopy. For patients who were employed, we identified (1) the numerically most frequent professionals, and (2) the professionals most at risk of consulting for their voice, based on the distribution of these professions among all workers living in French-speaking Belgium.
Results. 11% of patients were unemployed, 15% were students, 20% were retired, and 54% were workers. In decreasing order of frequency, the most commonly seen professionals were teachers, office workers, artists (singers, actors, and musicians), storekeepers and marketing representatives, managers, domestic workers, and laborers. Regarding their distribution in the working population, the workers at greatest risk of consulting were artists, music teachers, counselors, sports coaches, psychologists, switchboard operators, journalists, and teachers. Nodules are the most common pathologies, encountered in 16.8% of the workers and 42.8% of the students who consulted the Department of Otorhinolaryngology for dysphonia.
Conclusion. Prevention is needed both for the professions that seek medical help in the largest numbers (teachers) and for those that are at highest risk of consulting (artistic professions). In addition, teachers must be informed of the need to seek help as soon as voice problems appear.
Level of evidence: 2b
