Laryngoscopic and Voice Characteristics of Aged Persons

TLDR

Voice changes in aging are marked by slight hoarseness or noticeable shifts in fundamental frequency, primarily due to alterations in vocal fold mass such as atrophy or edema. The study examined laryngoscopic and voice changes in 20 men and 20 women with a mean age of 75, assessing voice quality, fundamental frequency, and pitch perturbation from recordings. Aged men displayed marked vocal fold atrophy or edema and a higher fundamental frequency than young men, whereas aged women showed vocal fold edema, slight hoarseness, and a lower fundamental frequency than young women.

Abstract

Laryngoscopic and voice changes in aged persons were examined in 20 men and 20 women with a mean age of 75 years. From recordings of their voices, voice quality was assessed and the fundamental frequency and pitch perturbation were measured. The characteristic findings obtained were as follows: the aged men tended to show marked vocal fold atrophy and/or edema, with a higher fundamental frequency of voice than young men, and the aged women tended to have vocal fold edema and slight hoarseness, with a lower fundamental frequency than young women. Voice changes in senescence are characterized by slight hoarseness or a noticeable change in fundamental frequency of voice. Change in the mass of vocal folds, due, for example, to atrophy or edema, is considered to be the greatest factor in these voice changes.