In recent years, studies have considered the relationship between frailty and swallowing and demonstrated that decreased skeletal muscle mass correlates with decreased swallowing function. This study investigated this relationship by using quantitative measurement of three individual components of swallowing assessed by videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS). The authors carried out a retrospective cohort study on 44 patients (median age 47.5, range 18–85, 63.6% female) comparing hyoid displacement (HD), posterior pharyngeal wall (PPW) thickness and pharyngoesophageal (PES) opening in two groups of patients. Based on responses to the Modified Frailty Index-11, one group (n=24) were defined as “no frailty” and one group (n=20) were described as “mild frailty”. Based on speech-language pathology assessment, the patients had a functional swallow and were taking a total oral diet. The comparison showed no significant differences between the groups across the three components (HD, PPW and PES) for any of the boluses given in the VFSS. This indicates that in individuals with mild frailty, HD, PPW and PES are relatively preserved, however future research needs to include those with moderate to severe frailty alongside other direct measures of muscle mass and strength.
Does frailty lead to changes on quantitative measures of videofluoroscopic swallowing assessment?
Reviewed by Gemma Clunie
Impact of Mild Frailty on Quantitative Measures of Oropharyngeal Swallow.
CONTRIBUTOR
Gemma Clunie
BA (Hon), MSc, PhD, MRCSLT, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; Honorary Research Fellow, Imperial College London, UK.
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