Presbylarynx: is diabetes mellitus a risk factor for vocal atrophy? A prospective case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 in subjects with presbylarynx. METHOD: A case-control, prospective study was carried out on consecutive subjects who presented to the otorhinolaryngology department. RESULTS: The study comprised 174 subjects (60 males and 114 females) with a mean age of 73.99 years (65-95 years). Presbylarynx was identified in 71 patients (41 per cent). Among patients with diabetes mellitus type 2, 20 patients (77 per cent) exhibited endoscopic signs of presbylarynx. A statistically significant difference was found between presbylarynx versus no presbylarynx concerning diabetes mellitus type 2 (p < 0.001). Subjects with diabetes mellitus type 2 were approximately eight times more likely to have presbylarynx compared to subjects without diabetes mellitus type 2. CONCLUSION: In this study, 77 per cent of patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 had endoscopic signs of presbylarynx. A multivariable analysis, which took into account co-morbidities of the elderly, identified diabetes mellitus type 2 as a possible risk factor for presbylarynx. Many physiopathological mechanisms might explain this result, as diabetes mellitus type 2 is known to affect muscular, neurological and vascular systems.