CLEARER - Phase One
Research type
Research Study
Full title
CLEARER: A Combined LaryngEAl and REspiratory AppRoach to Presbyphonia Voice Therapy
IRAS ID
328486
Contact name
Brian Saccente-Kennedy
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 6 days
Research summary
Voice disorders, called dysphonia, affect 7.5% of the population. The prevalence of dysphonia in adults over the age of 65 is 20-30%, 3-4 × that of the general population. Voice clinic referrals for older people already outpace their proportion in the population, comprising >20% of dysphonia diagnoses. When prevalence is considered, the costs associated with treating dysphonia are comparable to COPD and asthma.
Dysphonia due to age-related changes to the larynx and respiratory system, called presbyphonia, is the most common for over-65s. Presbyphonia disproportionally impacts the daily lives of older people, with 50% experiencing a significantly reduced quality of life. It impairs participation in communities, engenders low mood and can result in social isolation – a known risk factor for infectious disease, dementia and mortality. The mainstay for presbyphonia treatment is voice therapy with a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT).
This cross-sectional observational study is the first phase of a multiphase project to design and test the feasibility of a novel combined laryngeal and respiratory-focused treatment for presbyphonia. This phase seeks to characterise the respiratory presentation and speech-related breathing patterns of people with presbyphonia and identify how these correlate with the subjective experience of vocal handicap. 35 adults over the age of 50 with presbyphonia (14 males, 21 females) will be identified from ENT services at four NHS Trusts and recruited for this study. This primary research will inform both treatment design and physiologically-based treatment targets for latter phases of the project, culminating in a multi-centre feasibility trial of the therapy.
REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/PR/0948
Date of REC Opinion
14 Aug 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion