Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol.  2019 Feb;12(1):95-99. 10.21053/ceo.2018.00717.

Nasality Changes With Age in Normal Korean-Speaking Adults

• Xu J
• Kang YA
• Park SK
• Yoon YH
• Bai SJ
• Jin YD
• Kim YM
• Rha KS

• KMID: 2437497
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21053/ceo.2018.00717

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was performed to investigate the effects of aging on nasality and the influence of age-related changes in nasal cavity volume and nasal patency on nasality.
METHODS
A total of 180 healthy Korean-speaking adult volunteers, who had no nasal or voice-related complaints, were enrolled in this study. Nasometry, acoustic rhinometry, and rhinomanometry were performed to obtain the nasalance score, nasal cavity volume, and nasal resistance, respectively. Changes in these parameters with age were analyzed.
RESULTS
Nasal cavity volume increased significantly, and nasal resistance decreased significantly, with age. The nasalance scores for the nasal passage and oronasal passage decreased significantly with age, while there were no age-related changes in nasalance scores for the oral passage.
CONCLUSION
Nasalance scores for the passages containing nasal consonants decreased with age although significant increases were observed in nasal cavity volume and nasal patency with age. Therefore, the age-related decreases in nasalance scores may result from factors other than changes in the nasal cavity.

Keyword

Voice Quality; Nasal Cavity; Acoustic Rhinometry; Rhinomanometry; Aging; Adult

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Aging
Humans
Nasal Cavity
Rhinomanometry
Rhinometry, Acoustic
Voice Quality
Volunteers

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. Correlations of age with nasal cavity volume (A), total inspiratory nasal resistance (B), and total expiratory resistance (C). Data are shown as scatterplots with linear regression curves.

• 

  Fig. 2. Correlations of age and nasalance score for oronasal passage (A), nasal passage (B), and oral passage (C). Data are shown as scatterplots with linear regression curves.

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