Sheikh Saadat Ullah Waleem, Shaukat Ali, Muhammad Ishaque.
Etiology of hoarseness - a study of 100 cases.
Pak J Otolaryngol Jan ;21(2):39-41.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the etiology of hoarseness, to emphasize upon the diverse causes of hoarseness and therefore the need for a carefully directed approach towards diagnosis and better management of these patients. DESIGN: a descriptive study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The study had been carried out at the Ear, Nose and Throat departments of Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi over a period from Jan. 2000 to Jan. 2002. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was carried out on 100 patients presenting for the first time with hoarseness,k outdoor as well as indoor, of both sexes, over ten and under seventy years of age collected by random sampling. Those who had already taken some form of treatment for their hoarseness were excluded from the study. A detailed history, thorough general physical, systemic and ENT examination and necessary investigations revealed the cause in majority of the cases. The data was collected on a data collection /research proforma. RESULTS: Infection (32%) was the most common c ause of hoarseness in our series closely followed by tumour (20%) and tumours like conditions (19%). latrogenic trauma (9%) was found to be commoner than accidental trauma (3%). For most of the cases of vocal cord paralysis causing hoarseness no cause could be ascertained (idiopathic 6%). In 9% of the cases hoarseness was found to be of non organic type. CONCLUSION: Hoarseness of voice is just a symptom and not a diagnosis with a very diverse etiology and every case should be carefully and thoroughly investigated for the underlying cause. Though the most common causes of hoarseness are benign one must not forget to keep in mind and investigate for the more sinister pathology like malignancy.

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