Pharyngolaryngeal symptoms associated with thyroid disease

Abstract

Several thyroid disorders can cause compressive symptoms and hoarseness. Superior and/or recurrent laryngeal nerve injury during thyroidectomy is the main cause of various pharyngolaryngeal symptoms. However, other pharyngolaryngeal symptoms that arise following thyroidectomy in the absence of nerve injury, a condition known as postthyroidectomy syndrome, are becoming more common.

Frequência combinada de queixas relacionadas à deglutição e voz antes da tireoidectomia

“…As expected, this group of patients had a higher number of symptoms in both functions compared to those whose self-assessment was positive. This result is in line with the literature, indicating that voice (1,11,(14)(15)(16)(18)(19)(20)(21) and swallowing (1,4,(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(21)(22)(23) symptoms may be reported by patients referred for thyroidectomy. This is especially due to the compressive characteristics of thyroid disease, in addition to hormonal changes and impairment of laryngeal mobility or laryngotracheal complex (1,4) .…”

“…Benign or malignant thyroid disorders affect hormone production and secretion (1) and may alter functional patterns of voice (1)(2)(3) and swallowing (1,3,4) . Such diseases can be treated by thyroidectomy, which consists of partial or total removal of the thyroid gland (1,5,6) .…”

“…Benign or malignant thyroid disorders affect hormone production and secretion (1) and may alter functional patterns of voice (1)(2)(3) and swallowing (1,3,4) . Such diseases can be treated by thyroidectomy, which consists of partial or total removal of the thyroid gland (1,5,6) . This procedure can lead to voice and swallowing changes due to multiple factors such as extent of surgery (1,7) , technique used in the procedure (8,9) , orotracheal intubation (5,6) , dissection of cervical muscles (6) , bruising (6) , and manipulation of the laryngeal nerves (1,5,6,10) .…”

“…However, voice and swallowing changes may be present even before thyroidectomy due to a possible hormonal disorder (1,2,4) . In addition, increased gland volume (1,11,12) and the presence of benign or malignant nodules (1,13,14) may cause compressive symptoms such as shortness of breath (1,13,14) , swallowing effort (1,4,14) , foreign body sensation in the throat (1,4,13,(15)(16)(17) , choking (17) , and odynophagia (1,4,13,17) , impacting the biomechanics of swallowing. Similarly, communication may be affected by vocal symptoms such as hoarseness, voice weakness, and monotonous voice (1,6,10,16) , as well as by physical symptoms such as throat clearing, pain and discomfort when speaking (18) .…”

“…Although voice and swallowing complaints are still considered minor complications of thyroid disease in clinical routine, they significantly affect patients' quality of life (1,19,20) . Considering that voice and swallowing share common structures and pathways, it is assumed that the simultaneous occurrence of voice and swallowing complaints may represent the presence of more severe functional and quality of life impairments even before surgical intervention.…”