Robert Sataloff and his team from Drexel University completed a retrospective cohort study that established a correlation between voice problems and an increased risk of cognitive impairment.
Data from the TriNetX platform spanning from January 2016 to December 2025 were used for the analysis. The study included approximately 417.4 thousand participants, with an average age of 64.6 years, and 61.3 percent of them were women. All analyzed individuals initially showed no signs of cognitive impairment but suffered from various voice issues, such as dysphonia, aphonia, or other unspecified voice and resonance disorders.
Using a pseudo-randomization method, the researchers formed a control group by selecting an equal number of people who had no voice disorders. The risk of developing cognitive decline associated with these disorders was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models, taking into account various confounding factors.
The results of this study were officially published in the scientific journal Journal of Voice.