Quality of Life, Spasmodic Dysphonia
Conditions
Keywords
Qualitative study, Interviews, Quality of life, Spasmodic Dysphonia, Botulinum toxin, Laryngology, Voice disorder
Brief summary
Previous research has shown that patients with voice disorders often have a lower quality of life and struggle with employment. Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD) is a voice disorder that causes abrupt and uncontrollable spasms of the voice box, often resulting in the person having lifelong changes in their voice and speech pattern. The current mainstay of treatment is injecting botulinum toxin (BT) injections into the vocal cord to ease the spasms. The same research team conducted a pilot study in April 2021 on patients with SD. The pilot study used questionnaires and short interviews to understand the livelihood of 10 SD patients. It displayed that SD may impact patients' quality of life. The investigators now aim to run an official research project, ethically approved, to explore the following questions further: 1. Does SD impact the socio-economic lives of its patients? If so, how? 2. What role does BT play in the socio-economic livelihood of SD patients? To answer these questions, the investigators aim to interview 20 patients with Spasmodic Dysphonia.
Interventions
PROCEDUREBotulinum toxin injections
Botulinum toxin injection to ease spasms of vocal cord
Sponsors
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Study design
Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Adults diagnosed with Spasmodic Dysphonia who have received at least one botulinum toxin injection.
Exclusion criteria
* Below 18 years of age; additional laryngeal condition(s) severely affecting voice.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Does Spasmodic Dysphonia impact the socio-economic lives of its patients? If so, how? | Through study completion, which is expected to be a year | Outcome will be measured through qualitative analysis of participant answers regarding how the target condition, spasmodic dysphonia, affects the social and economic aspects of their livelihood. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| What role do botulinum toxin injections play in the socio-economic livelihood of Spasmodic Dysphonia patients? | Through study completion, which is expected to be a year | Outcome will be measured through qualitative analysis of participant answers regarding how receiving Botulinum toxin injections may improve their livelihood. |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed