Screening of dysphagia in geriatrics

BMC Geriatrics

Table 1 Results of dysphagia manifestations questionnaire

		No (total No:200)	%
Dysphagia		37	18.5%
Anorexia		36	18.0%
Weight loss		30	15.0%
Salivation		25	12.5%
Accumulation of food in mouth		31	15.5%
Sticking of food in throat		53	26.5%
Difficulty to initiate swallow		0	0.0%
Nasal regurgitation of food		0	0.0%
Nasal regurgitation of fluids		6	3.0%
Cough on food		37	18.5%
Cough on fluids		73	36.5%
Need water to swallow		51	25.5%
Multiple swallows		43	21.5%
Need to cut food into small pieces		44	22.0%
Total score	Mean	2.34
	Range	0 – 11
	Median	1

Table 1 showed that the most encountered dysphagia symptoms were in 36.5% of the elders under study ‘coughing on fluids’, in 26.5% ‘sticking of food in the throat’, in 25.5% ‘the need to drink water to swallow’, while in 22.5% ‘ the need to cut food into small pieces’ and in 21.5% ‘ need for multiple swallows’. The least percentages were for the presence of salivation in 12.5% of the subjects and weight loss in 15% of them. The subjects under the study didn’t experience any difficulty to initiate swallow or any nasal regurgitation of food

ISSN: 1471-2318