Association of Sarcopenic Dysphagia with Underlying Sarcopenia Following Hip Fracture Surgery in Older Women.

Ayano Nagano,Keisuke Maeda,Naohide Takigawa,Shinsuke Nagami,Masaki Suenaga,Akio Shimizu,Junko Ueshima

doi:10.3390/nu12051365

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the association between the development of dysphagia in patients with underlying sarcopenia and the prevalence of sarcopenic dysphagia in older patients following surgical treatment for hip fracture. Older female patients with hip fractures (n = 89) were studied. The data of skeletal muscle mass, hand-grip strength, and nutritional status were examined. The development of dysphagia postoperatively was graded using the Food Oral Intake Scale by a certified nurse in dysphagia nursing. The patients’ mean age was 85.9 ± 6.5 years. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 76.4% at baseline. Of the 89 patients, 11 (12.3%) and 12 (13.5%) had dysphagia by day 7 of hospitalization and at discharge, respectively. All patients who developed dysphagia had underlying sarcopenia. Lower skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) (<4.7 kg/m2) and grip strength (<8 kg) at baseline indicated a higher incidence of dysphagia on day 7 (p = 0.003 and Phi = 0.391) and at discharge (p = 0.001 and Phi = 0.448). Dysphagia developed after hip fracture surgery could be sarcopenic dysphagia, and worsening sarcopenia was a risk factor for dysphagia following hip fracture surgery. Clinicians and medical coworkers should become more aware of the risks of sarcopenic dysphagia. Early detection and preventive interventions for dysphagia should be emphasized.

Highlights

The association between sarcopenia and dysphagia has received increased research attention
139 patients were admitted to our hospital, of whom 50 were excluded based on the exclusion criteria; 89 patients were analyzed (Figure 1)
There was no significant difference in comparison with sarcopenia and low skeletal muscle mass index (SMI)/hand-grip strength defined by AWGS criteria

Summary

Introduction

The association between sarcopenia and dysphagia has received increased research attention. Maeda et al reported that 76.8% and 30% of hospitalized older patients had sarcopenia and dysphagia, respectively [1]. Sarcopenic dysphagia is a condition characterized by sarcopenia-induced swallowing disorder and the loss of swallowing muscle mass and function. Wakabayashi et al reported that sarcopenia was the possible cause of sarcopenic dysphagia in 32% of inpatients who underwent dysphagia rehabilitation and that patients with dysphagia due to sarcopenia had a worse prognosis than patients with dysphagia due to other diseases [4]. Previous studies have shown that dysphagia may develop in older patients after the onset of acute diseases such as pneumonia [5], or after undergoing rehabilitation [6], or in cases of sarcopenia-related conditions such as low physical function and malnutrition [5,7]. The prevalence of sarcopenic dysphagia has received little attention up to now

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