Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (KD / MB)

Udupi, Apr 15: World Voice day will be observed at Kasturba Hospital on Monday April 16.

The voice is an exceedingly fragile and sensitive instrument. But many abuse their voice by smoking, shouting, drinking, or poor speaking technique. When problems occur, treatment is often ignored, leading to more significant problems. Often voice disorders can also contribute to psychological problems
 
A voice is termed to have a disorder when the vocal quality of an individual is altered or changed in such a way that it is thought to be abnormal to the listener. The two broad categories of voice disorders are functional voice disorders and Organic Voice disorders. In some cases changes in the voice result from a medical disorder. Voice disorders can occur in people of all age groups.   The most common voice problems arise from Laryngitis, Vocal Cord Lesions,   Poor Speaking Technique, Vocal Cord Paralysis, Throat Cancer, etc. Failure by a patient to seek medical care can aggravate the problem or allow a more serious condition to remain undiagnosed till it reaches an advanced stage.
 
According to Dr. Deepak Ranjan Nayak, professor and head, department of ENT, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal,  "modern lifestyle and communication habits have in a way contributed to the voice disorders we see in our clinic. Most often we treat patients conservatively by voice therapy including voice rest and vocal hygiene and by explaining the need for altering habits."
 
           
According to Dr Kailesh Pujary, associate professor, department of ENT, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal,  “Surgical treatment is required in some cases wherein with the help of Microendoscopy and KTP 532 lasers only limited and precise removal of lesions is done with an aim to preserve the voice quality. Voice improvement in cases of vocal cord paralysis is done surgically with good results. Surgical voice restoration is a boon for patients with cancer of the larynx who require removal of the voice box as a part of their treatment. Modern treatment protocols in specialized voice clinics have benefited patients with voice disorders including professional voice users."
 
According to Dr D P Saraswat,  'World Voice Day' represents one small step toward increasing awareness of vocal health among members of the general public and highlighting advances in voice diagnosis and treatment at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. He has also advised people suffering from Voice disorders to take the best advantage of such a Specialized Clinic. Announcing the Free 'Voice Disorder' Clinic, Dr D P Saraswat said that the clinic will be organized between April 16 and 21,  2007.