Abstract
To associate the degree of biomechanical impairment in the swallowing process with the severity (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale - NIHSS) and type of neurological injury in patients post stroke. A cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted with 42 patients (22 females), aged 65.7 years on average diagnosed with stroke. All patients underwent clinical neurological evaluation and application of the NIHSS in the first 48 hours after stroke. The swallowing function was evaluated using the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) and the Protocol for the Investigation of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Adults. The Fisher's Exact Probability Test was used to assess the correlation between the degree of swallowing impairment and the severity (NIHSS score) and type of stroke. The study results were statistically analyzed at 5% significance level (p≤0.05). 92.9% of the patients presented ischemic stroke; 59.5% presented impairment of the anterior cerebral circulation. Statistically significant correlation was found between the neurological scale (NIHSS) scores and the swallowing impairment scale (p=0.016). An association between stroke severity and oropharyngeal dysphagia severity was observed. A high proportion of patients with ischemic stroke with circulation affected in the anterior cerebral region presented severe oropharyngeal dysphagia. No statistically significant correlation was observed between the FOIS scale and stroke severity.
Highlights
Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is defined as impaired swallowing that affects the upper throat and may hinder the ability to ingest food
Individuals included in the study met the following criteria: patients experiencing their first cerebrovascular event hospitalized with clinical symptoms suggestive of stroke and with diagnosis confirmed by cranial computed tomography (CCT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
This study aimed to determine the relationship between OD and stroke, to assist health professionals in the early identification of dysphagia in post-stroke patients in the event that a positive correlation was found between stroke severity (NIHSS), type of stroke, and OD
Summary
Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is defined as impaired swallowing that affects the upper throat and may hinder the ability to ingest food. Neurogenic dysphagia is a disorder caused by disease or neurological trauma which may affect the muscular action responsible for the transport of the bolus from mouth to stomach[1]. A stroke may be defined as a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain, causing loss or impairment of the respective functions in the cerebral region affected. It may be ischemic, caused by blood vessel obstruction or reduction in the systemic blood flow, or hemorrhagic, caused by the rupture of a weakened blood vessel[2]. The NIHSS presents predictive characteristics for dysphagia, it is not sufficiently sensitive to be used independently for initial treatment of the disorder[5], complementary Speech Language Pathology (SLP) assessment is required
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