In the United States, do people with dysphagia have a higher chance of being dysphonic?
Reviewed by Gemma Clunie

Dysphagia and dysphonia can co-occur due to their shared anatomy and physiology. Previous studies have considered this relationship and determined that certain conditions, such as cancer, laryngeal impairments or neurological disorders, may lead to problems with both swallowing and voice. However, the relationship has not been investigated in detail. This study used data from the US National Institute of Health All of Us Research Program to complete a formal analysis of the prevalence and predictors of dysphonia in patients aged 18 and over and diagnosed with dysphagia. The authors used ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes to identify 24,198 patients with dysphagia and known comorbidities from the total dataset of 266,612 and compared the prevalence of dysphonia between the two datasets (patients with dysphagia and patients without dysphagia). Demographic information (age, sex assigned at birth, ethnicity, race) was also collected and used within the analysis. Following adjustment for age and sex, dysphagia was significantly associated with dysphonia in the entire patient cohort (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 6.78; confidence interval [CI], 6.47–7.11), with the probability of dysphonia increasing by 9.82% in the presence of dysphagia. Analysis also showed that presence of dysphagia on a background of head and neck cancer, stroke, neurodegenerative conditions, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or vocal fold abnormalities was significantly associated with dysphonia. The authors recommend further research into the causal mechanism behind this association and suggest that there is potential for the intersection of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Association of Dysphonia in Patients with Dysphagia in the United States: A National Database Study.
He L, Zhao R, Curtis J, et al.
LARYNGOSCOPE
2025:(00):1-9. [ePub ahead of print]