Prevalence of Dysphonia and Dysphagia Among Adults in the United States in 2012 and 2022

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of dysphonia and dysphagia among adults in the United States between 2012 and 2022. Method: A retrospective and cross-sectional design with national surveys was used. The 2012 and 2022 National Health Interview Surveys were utilized to estimate the number of adults reporting dysphonia and dysphagia in the past 12 months. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine associations between the survey year (2022 vs. 2012) and the prevalence rate of dysphonia and dysphagia while accounting for demographics and clinical characteristics. Results: The population-estimated mean age was 46.63 years in 2012, which increased to 48.12 years in 2022. In 2012, adults reporting dysphonia and dysphagia were 17.89 million (7.62%) and 9.44 million (4.02%), respectively. In 2022, these estimates increased to 29.92 million adults (11.71%) and 15.10 million adults (5.91%), respectively. Adults in 2022 had significantly higher odds for reporting dysphonia (odds ratio [ OR ] = 1.602, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] [1.486, 1.726], p < .0001) and dysphagia ( OR = 1.461, 95% CI [1.328, 1.606], p < .0001) in the past 12 months compared to adults in 2012. Conclusions: The population-estimates indicated that in 2022, dysphonia affected one in 8.5 adults and dysphagia affected one in 17 adults. The increase in prevalence of these disorders should serve as a call-to-action to improve access to care and research for voice and swallowing disorders.