Table 2 The 15 domains and 57 items of the ICQ scale.

Voice Problems – 15 items:

Mood Problems – 3 items:

• hoarseness of the voice

• feeling 'grumpy'

• a 'rough' voice

• mood swings

• a noticeable change to your voice

• feeling 'easily irritated'

• your voice feeling similar to how your voice feels when recovering from the flu

• your voice feeling like it had 'gone to the back of your throat'

Taste Disruption – 3 items:

• not being able to sing

• a change in your ability to taste

• loss of speech volume so that you couldn't talk as loudly as normal

• a loss of ability to taste

• a feeling of exhaustion when talking

• a loss of appetite

• a painful throat when talking

• a feeling that other people couldn't understand your speech because you speak too softly or not clearly enough

Perspiration – 2 items:

• a breaking voice

• sweating

• a 'rough' throat

• sweating during the night

• a sore throat

• an unpleasant feeling in your throat

Oropharyngeal Itching – 2 items:

• a dry throat

• an itchy feeling on the roof of your mouth

• an itchy feeling in the back of your throat

Oropharynx Problems – 9 items:

• coughing

Thirst – 2 items:

• coughing up phlegm

• feeling thirsty

• coughing up thick mucus

• wanting to drink liquid (because of a dry mouth)

• thick mucus coming up

• thick mucus sticking at the back of your throat

Tiredness – 2 items:

• a need to clear your throat

• difficulty sleeping

• mucus in your throat

• feeling tired

• a 'clump' in your throat

• a feeling that 'a layer of mucus stays on the back' of your throat

Oral Candidiasis – 1 item:

• oral thrush (fungal infection: sore throat covered with pustules, and difficulty swallowing)

Unpleasant Taste – 7 items:

• a terrible taste in your mouth

Facial Oedema – 1 item:

• a 'taste' on the teeth

• a swollen face or fluid around the face

• a 'bad taste' or unfresh feeling in your mouth

• bad breath

Vision Deterioration – 1 item:

• wanting to rinse your mouth

• some kind of deterioration of your vision

• wanting to brush your teeth

• wanting to chew gum

Dental Deterioration – 1 item:

• any form of dental decline (tooth decay, tooth staining etc.)

Skin, Hair and Nails – 7 items:

• dry skin

Eye Dryness – 1 item:

• dry skin on the face

• dry eyes

• bruising easily

• bruises that are painful for a long period

• thinner skin or less flexibility in your skin

• brittle nails, or your nails breaking easily

• hair loss