Laryngeal and vocal analysis in bulimic patients

Bulimia is an eating disorder classified as a mental disorder according to DSM-IV. AIMS: The aim of the study was to evaluate vocal and laryngeal abnormalities in patients with bulimia compared to a control group. MATERIALS & METHODS: Study control group. Twenty-two women were evaluated, with an age range of 18 to 34 years old. Eleven diagnosed with purging bulimia and 11 in the control group. Both groups underwent an otolaryngological, perception and acoustic evaluation. The statistic analysis was done through a chi-square test and a Kruskall-Wallis non-parametric test, considering 5% as significance level. RESULTS: The bulimic group presented a higher prevalence of laryngeal abnormalities compared to the control group (p=0.000). The group with bulimia had higher GRBSI values (p=0.000) and A (p=0.022) of the GRBASI scale. The results of vocal acoustics analysis of the jitter, shimmer, PPQ and APQ were higher in the bulimic group (p=0.033). No statistical significance difference in the fundamental frequency and NHR were found between both groups. CONCLUSION: the bulimic patients in this study presented more laryngeal, acoustics and perception evaluation disorders when compared to a control group.