Alexander Rösler1, Silke Pfeil2, Hendrik Lessmann3, Jürgen Höder4, Alina Befahr3, Wolfgang von Renteln-Kruse3. 1. Kath. Marienkrankenhaus GmbH, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: roesler@geriatrie.marienkrankenhaus.org. 2. Regio Klinikum Pinneberg, Pinneberg, Germany. 3. Albertinen-Haus, Zentrum für Geriatrie und Gerontologie, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. 4. Retired from Rheumaklinik Bad Bramstedt, Hamburg, Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate influences of disease severity and food texture on prevalence and type of dysphagia in hospitalized geriatric patients. DESIGN: We screened for dysphagia in 161 geriatric inpatients with different forms of dementia and 30 control patients. MEASUREMENTS: Signs of aspiration were registered with 3 different food consistencies (water, apple puree, and slice of an apple) and the latency until the first swallow was documented. SETTING: Geriatric department of an academic teaching hospital in Hamburg, Germany. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, patients with dementia more often showed signs of aspiration. In the patients with dementia, signs of aspiration occurred more frequently with water (35.6%) than with a slice of an apple (15.1%) or apple puree (6.3%). We observed an inverse relationship between Mini-Mental State Examination score level and the suspected rate of aspiration, as well as with the length of latency until the first swallow of puree. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dysphagia is high in patients with dementia, especially in patients with moderate to severe cognitive impairment. The relationships observed in this study encourage screening for dysphagia and adapting meal consistencies to prevent aspiration in patients with dementia.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate influences of disease severity and food texture on prevalence and type of dysphagia in hospitalized geriatric patients. DESIGN: We screened for dysphagia in 161 geriatric inpatients with different forms of dementia and 30 control patients. MEASUREMENTS: Signs of aspiration were registered with 3 different food consistencies (water, applepuree, and slice of an apple) and the latency until the first swallow was documented. SETTING: Geriatric department of an academic teaching hospital in Hamburg, Germany. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, patients with dementia more often showed signs of aspiration. In the patients with dementia, signs of aspiration occurred more frequently with water (35.6%) than with a slice of an apple (15.1%) or applepuree (6.3%). We observed an inverse relationship between Mini-Mental State Examination score level and the suspected rate of aspiration, as well as with the length of latency until the first swallow of puree. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dysphagia is high in patients with dementia, especially in patients with moderate to severe cognitive impairment. The relationships observed in this study encourage screening for dysphagia and adapting meal consistencies to prevent aspiration in patients with dementia.
Authors: Rainer Wirth; Rainer Dziewas; Anne Marie Beck; Pere Clavé; Shaheen Hamdy; Hans Juergen Heppner; Susan Langmore; Andreas Herbert Leischker; Rosemary Martino; Petra Pluschinski; Alexander Rösler; Reza Shaker; Tobias Warnecke; Cornel Christian Sieber; Dorothee Volkert Journal: Clin Interv Aging Date: 2016-02-23 Impact factor: 4.458