Peak Flow and Voice Pathology

SummaryLung function influences voice quality. The aim of this study was to determine if there was a link between subjective voice pathology and peak flow in patients newly presenting with voice problems. A prospective, multigroup study design was designed, with three groups:–New voice pathology patients presenting to voice clinics or speech therapists;–General patients from ear, nose, and throat clinics with no voice or hearing abnormality; and–Asthmatics presenting to general practitioner surgeries or asthma groups for review of asthma treatment.Fifty general ENT patients, 50 voice pathology patients, and 26 asthmatics were included. Peak flow and Voice Handicap Index (VHI) were measured in all subjects. Analysis of the correlation between VHI and percentage of expected peak flow showed a small correlation between the two for voice pathology patients (r = −0.304, P = 0.016). No significant correlation was found for the other two groups. These results do not justify the routine measurement of peak flow in all voice clinic patients, but suggest that peak flow measurement and optimization may have a place in those with the most severely impaired VHI.