Examination of acoustic and spectral characteristics of sound in patients with moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, which is characterized by recurrent episodes of partial or complete upper respiratory tract obstruction during sleep, has increased in recent years and has significantly restricted participation in social life, with many causes and symptoms that target larynx and pharynx, especially. In the patient with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS), upper respiratory tract structure and function is constantly changing; therefore, sound production and resonance are negatively affected. For this reason, in our study, it was aimed to eliminate the risk factors such as obesity, smoking and alcohol use, laryngopharyngeal reflux and to examine the acoustic and spectral features of the sound. Between the ages of 18-65; 40 individuals with Apnea / Hypopnea Index (AHI) greater than 15 and diagnosed as moderate and severe OSAS and excluding risk factors were included in the study. In order to evaluate the emotional, physical and functional status of OSAS on individuals, Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and Sound-Related Quality of Life Scale were applied to each individual after acoustic sound recording. The acoustic and spectral sound characteristics of individuals with moderate and severe OSAS have been found to be quite close to normative data compared to studies without risk factors. As a result of our surveys, it was observed that only obstructive sleep apnea syndrome did not cause voice related complaints in patients' daily life, unless another symptom or risk factor was accompanied. In individuals with moderate OSAS, the mean value of the Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) parameter was significantly lower than those with severe OSAS. Considering the correlation between AHI and the acoustic and spectral parameter data of the voice, it was observed that only a /o/ phonemic was associated with f1 formant frequency in individuals with OSAS. In line with our findings, it was concluded that OSAS did not affect the acoustic and spectral characteristics of the sound after the risk factors were eliminated.