Vocal complaint and auditory perceptual analysis of patients with Parkinson disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a central nervous system degenerative disease, characterized by progressive loss of the substantia nigra neurons. Besides the primary symptoms (rigidity, tremor and bradykinesia), voice, speech and swallowing disorders may be present in PD. The purpose of this study was to analyze the vocal complaints and to perform an auditory perceptual analysis (GIRBAS scale) with additional attention to glottal attack. The subjects were 118 patients, 74 male and 44 female, who have approached the “Associação Brasil-Parkinson (ABPKS)”, SLP department, in 2001, for treatment. Weak voice was the main complaint, followed by moderate vocal deviations, while the glottal attack was usually regular. Those findings suggest that the PD patients who look for treatment present a moderate dysphonia characterized mainly by asteny and instability. Different speech tasks need to be used for a better characterization of the vocal problem.