Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive degenerative motor neuron disease that adversely affects the muscles responsible for swallowing. ObjectiveTo assess the oral preparatory, oral transit and pharyngeal phases of swallowing in ALS patients through endoscopic evaluation. MethodThis cross-sectional historical cohort study included ALS patients submitted to endoscopic examination. Eleven patients (six males and five females; mean age of 61.7 years) were enrolled in the study from january to december of 2011. ResultsAll patients had alterations in phases of the swallowing process, but only 72.7% complained of dysphagia. The oral preparatory phase was altered in 63.6% of the subjects; the oral transit and pharyngeal phases were altered in all studied individuals, regardless of food consistency. Laryngeal penetration or tracheal aspiration were seen in 90.9% of the patients during the pharyngeal phase while they were swallowing fluids. ConclusionEven in the absence of complaints, dysphagia is a frequent comorbidity in ALS patients. The oral transit and pharyngeal phases were the most frequently affected. Laryngeal penetration or tracheal aspiration occurred more frequently during the pharyngeal phase while patients were swallowing fluids.
Highlights
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare disease with reported incidence rates ranging from 0.6 to 2.6 cases per 100,000 people[1,2,3,4]
The oral preparatory phase was altered in 63.6% of the subjects; the oral transit and pharyngeal phases were altered in all studied individuals, regardless of food consistency
Even in the absence of complaints, dysphagia is a frequent comorbidity in ALS patients
Summary
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare disease with reported incidence rates ranging from 0.6 to 2.6 cases per 100,000 people[1,2,3,4]. In 1830, Charles Bell, a famous British anatomist and surgeon, was the first to report on a condition that caused progressive paralysis of the limbs and tongue. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a degenerative disease that affects the upper and lower motor neurons without causing sensory or cognitive impairment[3]. Alone or associated with dysarthria, is a common symptom in patients with ALS, in subjects with bulbar involvement, whether it is due to degeneration of the lower motor neuron (bulbar palsy), upper motor neuron (pseudobulbar palsy), or both[2,3,4,6,7]
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