Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: to relate nutritional risk and signs and symptoms of swallowing disorders as reported by hospitalized elderly, as well as to correlate the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) total score with the total number of signs and symptoms. Methods: a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 28 hospitalized patients, mean age of 72.18 ± 5.92 years, 15 (53.6%) males. The nutritional risk was evaluated by the MNA total score. Signs and symptoms of alterations in swallowing were investigated by means of an interview with 11 items. The Spearman’s correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney test were applied. The confidence interval was of 95%. Results: half the sample reported at least one sign or symptom of alteration in swallowing, with choking being the most frequent (32.1%). The MNA total score median (19.75) indicated nutritional risk. Elderly who reported choking presented worse performance in the MNA (p = 0.05). There was no correlation between the MNA total score and the total number of signs and symptoms of alterations in swallowing. Conclusion: nutritional risk was higher in hospitalized elderly with complaint of choking, but no correlation was found between the total number of signs and symptoms of alterations in swallowing and the MNA total score in this population.
Highlights
Aging is a dynamic and progressive process, common to all living beings, and it is influenced by multiple factors[1] which, if altered, may compromise the elderly’s functional independence, health conditions and, quality of life[1,2].In the elderly, the decrease in functional capacity, the aging process and the load of chronic affections result in a greater need of both out- and inpatient health services[2]
The median of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score indicated that the hospitalized elderly were found to be at nutritional risk
There was no significant correlation between MNA total score and the total number of signs and symptoms of alterations in swallowing (Figure 2), i.e., these variables have shown to be independent in hospitalized elderly
Summary
Aging is a dynamic and progressive process, common to all living beings, and it is influenced by multiple factors (biological, psychological, economic, social, cultural, among others)[1] which, if altered, may compromise the elderly’s functional independence, health conditions and, quality of life[1,2].In the elderly, the decrease in functional capacity, the aging process and the load of chronic affections result in a greater need of both out- and inpatient health services[2]. Aging is a dynamic and progressive process, common to all living beings, and it is influenced by multiple factors (biological, psychological, economic, social, cultural, among others)[1] which, if altered, may compromise the elderly’s functional independence, health conditions and, quality of life[1,2]. One of the factors that might cause or worsen the nutritional decline in elderly is oropharyngeal dysphagia, a condition that refers to a disorder in the preparatory, oral and/or pharyngeal stages of swallowing, whose signs and symptoms include choking, coughing, sensation of food stuck in the throat, weight loss, among others[8]. It is important that patients in nutritional risk and with signs and symptoms of alterations in swallowing be early detected, in order to achieve a better prognosis and immediate intervention, especially in hospitalized elderly[10,11,12]
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