A Solo Opera Singers – Health Problems and their Relationship to the Profession

Summary

The solo opera singing is one of the least studied professions in occupational medicine. This study elucidates the range of the professional load of particular singers, maps their health problems and looks for relationships bet- ween them and their profession. It deals also with the lifestyle of singers and influence of the profession on their psyché. The main part of the paper comprises the extensive questionnaire which was administered anonymously to volunteers – professional solo opera singers from the Czech and Slovak Republic. The spirometry, psychological examination and pacemaker measuring were undertaken in a smaller group of singers. The significant physical and mental load was found in solo opera singers. Frequent skin and eye problems connected with the profession were identified in the sample, the irregular and imbalanced diet connected with digestion problems were apparent. The spirometry showed from average to above average exhalation parameters in all examined persons.

Key words:
opera singers, artists, pacemaker, spirometry, psychological examination, questionnaire method