Signs and symptoms of the autonomic dysfunction in teachers

Purpose to compare signs of general autonomic dysfunction related to the voice in teachers with and without complaints. Methods adhibition of the Questionnaire of Autonomic Dysfunction (QAD) in 83 teachers, including 60 women and 23 men, with an average age of 37,6. The participants were distributed in two groups, with or without voice complaints, defined according to number of symptoms marked in the Protocol of Signs and Voices Symptoms. Results the group with voice complaints presented an average of 13,7 symptoms in the QAD of autonomic dysfunction and the group without complaints 7,7 (p=0,001). Considering only voice related neurovegetative signs, the group with complaints presented an average of 4,7 symptoms and the group without complaints 1,8 (p<0,001). When compared to the group without voice complaints the most predominant voice related symptoms in the group with voice complaints were: fatigability when speaking (p<0,001), need of constantly swallowing (p=0,014), sore throat (p=0,001), neck pain while speaking (p=0,003), temporomandibular pain or discomfort (p=0,017), constant need to yawn (p=0,023), frequent throat clearing (p=0,010) and tension in the head while speaking (p=0,019). The symptoms observed in the group without complaints were: nose obstruction (33,3%), difficulty breathing through the nose (29,2%) and sneezing (25%). Conclusion the group with voice complaints showed more number of neurovegetative symptoms, particularly on issues related to the voice, than the group without complaints.