Analysis of Phonation in Individuals with Systemic Autoimmune Myopathies: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: This study aims to analyze speech-language manifestations related to voice in individuals with systemic autoimmune myopathies. STUDY DESIGN: Observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study. METHODS: The self-assessment questionnaires Screening Index of Voice Disorder (SIVD) and Voice Handcap Index (VHI-10) were used to quantify vocal symptoms and voice-related quality of life; vocal recording was performed using the open-access software Praat version 6.4.12 for Windows; perceptual-auditory analysis was conducted using the CAPE-V visual analog scale and, subsequently, acoustic measures were extracted, including jitter, shimmer, fundamental frequency (F0), harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), cepstral measures (CPPS), Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI), Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI), and Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI). RESULTS: Six female participants, mostly Black, were included, with dermatomyositis (DM) being the most frequent diagnosis; income up to two minimum wages and education ranging from high school to higher education. Five participants reached the cutoff point for the SIVD vocal symptom scale (≥ 5), and three participants scored above the VHI-10 cutoff (>7.5). In the perceptual-auditory analysis, altered values consistent with grade 1 (mild) were found in all participants, and in the acoustic analysis, alterations were found in shimmer, F0, HNR, CPPS, ABI, AVQI, and DSI values. CONCLUSIONS: Among the participants, vocal complaints were prevalent, with impact on voice-related quality of life and mild vocal quality alterations, reflected in acoustic analysis values.