The Relationship between Reflux Laryngitis and Voice Change after Alcohol Intake

알코올 섭취 후 나타나는 음성 변화와 역류성 후두염과의 관계

Background and Objectives : Although many studies have examined the effect of drinking on voice change, its cause and degree remain unclear. Since voice change occurs more frequently the day following drinking, rather than immediately afterwards, we examined whether the voice change was correlated with reflux laryngitis due to gastroesophageal motor disturbances. Subjects and Methods : For this study, 10 patients were selected who had neither voice change nor symptoms of reflux laryngitis at baseline (male : female=5 : 5, mean age=28 years old) They were subjected to psychoacoustic, acoustic, and aerodynamic tests and video stroboscopy at 4:00 P.M. the day before drinking (test 1), at 8:00 A.M. (test 2) and 4:00 P.M. (test 3) on the following day. On the day of drinking, the subjects had to drink more than their usual amount of Soju(Korean liquor) and were not allowed to talk much. The stroboscopy findings were quantified using the PC Belafsky score. Results : The laryngeal response to gastric reflux after drinking was compared between tests 1 and 2. In both tests, laryngeal edema and injection were observed on video stroboscopy. The psychoacoustic test detected more severe hoarseness in test 2 than in test 1. In addition, the acoustic test detected a mild increase in both jitter and shimmer. However, the differences between tests 2 and 3, which were performed when there was reduced or no gastric reflux, were not significant. Conclusions : Drinking may cause gastric reflux, which produces reversible voice change by irritating the vocal cords and larynx. Therefore, reflux laryngitis should be suspected in a patient whose voice changes markedly after drinking.