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CC BY 4.0 · Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2025; 29(04): s00451810095
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1810095
Original Research

An Epidemiological Analysis of Vocal Fold Atrophy at the Tokyo Voice Center

Authors

  • Tomohiro Hasegawa 

    1   Tokyo Voice Center, International University of Health and Welfare, Tokyo, Japan
    2   Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, International University of Health and Welfare Graduate School of Public Health, Tokyo, Japan

  • Yusuke Watanabe

    1   Tokyo Voice Center, International University of Health and Welfare, Tokyo, Japan
    3   School of Medicine, International University of Health and Welfare, Narita, Japan

Funding This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists [Grant Number: JP 20K18261].
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Abstract

Introduction

Vocal fold atrophy (VFA) is the most common voice disorder, and its morbidity increases with age.

Objective

To update the epidemiological understanding of VFA by assessing prevalence and phonographic characteristics by age, sex, and occupation.

Methods

A single-center retrospective chart review examined records of patients newly diagnosed with VFA from January 2020 to December 2022, analyzing age, sex, maximum phonation time (MPT), Voice Handicap Index (VHI), occupation, and voice disease complications.

Results

Six hundred-and-ten patients (319 women, 291 men), ages 17 to 96 (median 64; mean 61.14), were included. Most were in their 70s, with a higher proportion of women overall, but a greater number of men in their 60s, and an equal sex distribution in their 70s. Among those ≥60, there were 185 women and 189 men. Some were diagnosed with atrophy at a young age. Most participants were unemployed, and functional dysphonia was the most common complication. A moderately negative correlation was found between VHI and MPT in unemployed men, while other analyses showed no or weak correlations between age, sex, occupation, and complications.

Conclusion

VFA does not exclusively impact older adults. Early diagnosis and simple tests could potentially extend healthy life expectancy in unemployed men with VFA.

Keywords

vocal fold atrophy - voice handicap index - maximum phonation time

Ethical Statement

This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Before commencement, the study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of our institution (including approval numbers).


Authors' Contributions

TH: conceptualization, data collection, discussion of results, writing – review & editing; YW: data interpretation, discussion of results, writing – review & editing.


Data Availability Statement

Data supporting the results of this study are available upon a reasonable request from the corresponding author.




Publication History

Received: 07 December 2024

Accepted: 19 June 2025

Article published online:
16 October 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Tomohiro Hasegawa, Yusuke Watanabe. An Epidemiological Analysis of Vocal Fold Atrophy at the Tokyo Voice Center. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2025; 29: s00451810095.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1810095