Objective: To update the epidemiological understanding of vocal fold atrophy (VFA), a condition with increasing morbidity in an ageing global population by assessing prevalence and phonographic characteristics by age, gender, and occupation. Design: Retrospective chart review Setting: Single centre Participants: The study analysed medical records of patients diagnosed with VFA for the first time from January 2020 to December 2022. Main Outcome Measures: Parameters such as age, sex, maximum phonation time (MPT), Voice Handicap Index (VHI), occupation, and voice disease complications were extracted and analysed. Results: The study included 610 patients (319 women and 291 men), with ages ranging from 17 to 96 years (median, 64; mean, 61.14). The majority of patients were in their 70s, with a higher prevalence of women than men overall but more men in their 60s and an equal gender distribution among patients in 70s. Among participants aged 60 and above, 185 were women and 189 were men. On the other hand, some patients were diagnosed with atrophy at a young age. Most participants were unemployed, and the most common complication was functional dysphonia. A moderately negative correlation was found between VHI and MPT in unemployed men. Other analyses showed no or weak correlations between age, sex, occupation, and complications. Conclusion: VFA is not exclusively a disease of older men. The study suggests that early diagnosis and appropriate use of simple tests, such as MPT, could potentially extend healthy life expectancy in unemployed men diagnosed with this condition.
