VOCAL TRACT DISCOMFORT RELATED TO THE LABOR ACTIVITY OF SOPROINSTRUMENTIST MUSICIANS IN THE CITY OF NATAL- RN
Voice, Voice quality, Music, Wind Instrumentalist, Worker's health.
Introduction: Wins instrumentalist musicians belong to a specific group of individuals who use the vocal tract intensely in the exercise of their professional activities, which can lead to the development of work-related voice disorders. These disturbances can be triggered or aggravated by individual, organizational and environmental factors of the work. Objective: This study aims to verify the perception of vocal tract discomfort associated with the working characteristics of instrumental musicians in the city of Natal-RN and to identify the presence of vocal and laryngeal symptoms and associated factors in these professionals. Methodology: The sample consisted of 117 professional and training musicians, who answered a questionnaire of socioeconomic characterization, demographic and health conditions and habits, as well as filling the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (EDTV). A Systematic Review was also performed on the electronic databases Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and LILACS, gray literature as well as manual search, without limitation of date and language, as directed by PRISMA. A title and summary analysis was carried out, followed by the analysis of the full text, risk assessment of bias (Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies) and synthesis of the results. The research was conducted independently by two researchers. Results: The most frequent DTV symptoms reported by the musicians were dryness (53%), irritated throat (35.9%) and sensitive throat (30.8%). Similarly, these symptoms presented higher averages in EDTV before and after the practice of the instrument, the dryness symptom being more frequent the more intense. Musicians who report muscle pain, gastroesophageal reflux, and respiratory allergies have a greater number of DTV symptoms. According to the six studies selected for systematic review, the main vocal symptoms in musicians of blowing are: dysphonia, altered vocal quality, hoarseness and voice failures - laryngeal symptoms - dryness, sore throat, throat irritation, throat clearing, discomfort and tension. The associated factors identified to these symptoms were the shorter time of profession, intense use of the instrument and individual vocal issues. However, the methodological discrepancies between the studies, especially in relation to the heterogeneity and size of the sample and the instruments used, signalize great variability and compromise the reliability of the results. Conclusion: The symptoms of vocal tract discomfort are present in high frequency in wind instrumentalists musicians, being more frequent in musicians with less instrument study time. In addition, the various vocal and laryngeal symptoms found in wind instrumentalists musicians in the selected studies were associated with individual factors (prior vocal alteration, inadequate vocal habits) and organizational factors of the work (time of profession, intense use, type and instrument technique). We also reinforce the need for health education actions for these professionals taking into account physiological aspects as well as working conditions.