Normative Electroglottographic Voice Measures in Adult Greek Speakers: Effects of Age and Gender on Fundamental Frequency and Jitter.
In everyday clinical and research practice, normative data of voice quality, such as fundamental frequency (Fo), serve as a reference standard for comparing individual voice assessments. To date, normative data in the Greek language have only been published for pediatric populations. This study aimed to provide normative data for adults, reporting the average Fo and cycle-to-cycle variation in the electroglottography (EGG) waveform (jitter) during sustained phonation, as well as the speaking time-varying Fo during reading, in a sample of native adult Greek speakers.
This is a cross-sectional study.
All participants were recruited at the Athens Naval Hospital and the Cyprus Institute for Neurology and Genetics. Candidates with neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory diseases were excluded. Additional exclusion criteria related to voice included the presence of a vocal disorder or a history of a laryngeal pathology. A combination of tasks (sustained phonation and reading of a standard text passage) was used to provide normative data on average Fo and jitter (%; sustained phonation), as well as speaking Fo (reading). In all participants, the voice was recorded and analyzed through EGG.
One hundred forty-four native Greek speakers (77 females) aged between 20 and 86 years (mean 48.40 years) were included in the study. The Mann-Whitney U test showed significant differences in median average Fo in sustained phonation (U = 4638.50, P < 0.001) between males (139.12 Hz, n = 67) and females (207.43 Hz, n = 76). Along the same line, the speaking Fo during reading (DF x 1) was statistically different (U = 4820.00, P < 0.001) in males (124.55 Hz) compared to females (200.98 Hz). No differences were found in jitter (U = 2889.00, P > 0.05) between males and females. In males, speaking Fo showed a progressive lowering or relative stability until around age 60, followed by an increase in older age, whereas in females it progressively decreased with age.
This is the first study to provide normative EGG data on Fo and jitter in adult Greek speakers. Deviations from these norms may help clinicians in early diagnosis, monitoring disorder severity, and evaluating treatment effectiveness, thereby supporting timely adjustments in therapeutic plans.
This is a cross-sectional study.
All participants were recruited at the Athens Naval Hospital and the Cyprus Institute for Neurology and Genetics. Candidates with neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory diseases were excluded. Additional exclusion criteria related to voice included the presence of a vocal disorder or a history of a laryngeal pathology. A combination of tasks (sustained phonation and reading of a standard text passage) was used to provide normative data on average Fo and jitter (%; sustained phonation), as well as speaking Fo (reading). In all participants, the voice was recorded and analyzed through EGG.
One hundred forty-four native Greek speakers (77 females) aged between 20 and 86 years (mean 48.40 years) were included in the study. The Mann-Whitney U test showed significant differences in median average Fo in sustained phonation (U = 4638.50, P < 0.001) between males (139.12 Hz, n = 67) and females (207.43 Hz, n = 76). Along the same line, the speaking Fo during reading (DF x 1) was statistically different (U = 4820.00, P < 0.001) in males (124.55 Hz) compared to females (200.98 Hz). No differences were found in jitter (U = 2889.00, P > 0.05) between males and females. In males, speaking Fo showed a progressive lowering or relative stability until around age 60, followed by an increase in older age, whereas in females it progressively decreased with age.
This is the first study to provide normative EGG data on Fo and jitter in adult Greek speakers. Deviations from these norms may help clinicians in early diagnosis, monitoring disorder severity, and evaluating treatment effectiveness, thereby supporting timely adjustments in therapeutic plans.