As a speech therapist specializing in voice feminization, I have to say that about four out of ten of my patients present with allergic rhinosinusitis, of which about 5% are recurrent and the rest are of the summer type.
As such, allergy is a reaction of the organism to the invasion of a foreign body. In this case, the defenses are altered, and we are faced with an exaggerated reaction in which the body will release histamine.
Histamine is responsible for all the symptoms derived from allergies, such as mucus secretion, inflammation, runny nose, coughing, tearing or watery eyes…
In the case of respiratory allergy, this produces a series of signs and symptoms that can alter the color of the voice, giving it in most cases a nasal or veiled tone. Usually, we are faced with the following symptoms:
- Nasal obstruction
- Sneezing
- Hoarseness
- Itchy throat and nose
- Coughing and/or throat clearing
- Watery eyes and tearing
- Dysphonia
How does allergy act on the voice?
To understand the effect of allergy on the voice, we must start from the symptoms, which, being recurrent, can cause alterations at a functional level in the long run, and at an organic level, such as the reaction to the allergic picture.
Thus, the dysphonia presented by allergic patients is usually of a temporary type. That is to say, the inflammation that is located in the vocal cords due to an excess of mucus secretion, irritation due to coughing and throat clearing, and sometimes even due to inhaler powders; which can cause a dysphonic picture with a hoarse voice, poor vocal quality and low power.
And in the case of voice feminization?
In this case, the schedule of sessions is usually adapted to the patient, depending on their symptomatology. In fact, it is of little or no use to work with a patient with an inflammation of the vocal cords and a runny nose with an excess of mucus in the throat.
Normally, we are able to feminize the voices of allergic patients without any problem, knowing that during allergic periods, the patient’s voice will be affected, as in any other type of allergy patient. In this line, to date I have never been referred to a case in which the feminized voice has suffered subsequent alterations as a result of an allergic condition.
In the case of dysphonia as a consequence of a recurrent allergic condition, the feminized voice will be altered, but normally, in patients who have worked with me and had allergies, they have only reported the usual vocal alteration during periods of allergy.
As the main feature is the vocal quality that is altered (hoarseness, nasality), femininity will not be altered if one takes into account the fact that feminization is not based exclusively on the fundamental frequency, but on a series of elements that will allow the patient’s spoken and expressive femininity to be exalted.
To summarize, allergic rhinosinusitis can be bothersome and invasive in all types of patients. It is recommended to visit an allergist and an otolaryngologist who can choose a personalized treatment appropriate to the patient’s allergic reaction. In turn, a speech therapist and a speech therapist will be necessary in some cases to rehabilitate vocal mechanics in the event that symptoms have altered the vocal gesture functionally.