The Functional Capacity of the Upper Airway in Older Adults with Chronic Stroke

Abstract

(1) Background: Older adults with chronic stroke may experience compromised upper airway functions due to stroke-related changes and aging. This study aimed to evaluate the functional capacity of the upper airway in older adults with chronic stroke. (2) Methods: A total of 44 patients (22 in each group) were included in the study. The respiratory assessment involved measuring forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, maximum voluntary ventilation, and peak cough flow. The voice assessment recorded intensity, frequency, shimmer, and the harmonics-to-noise ratio during a monologue task. Additionally, the maximum phonation time of /a/ and /s/ was recorded. The swallowing assessment included the Eating Assessment Tool—10 and the Swallowing Quality of Life questionnaire. (3) Results: Significant differences were found in the experimental group compared to the control group in maximum voluntary ventilation (44.59 ± 15.61 vs. 58.50 ± 28.08, p = 0.049) and peak cough flow (173.64 ± 101.09 vs. 291.59 ± 176.58, p = 0.009). Additionally, the experimental group showed poorer results than the control group in monologue intensity (66.60 ± 3.72 vs. 114.72 ± 63.09, p = 0.001), the harmonics-to-noise ratio (9.08 ± 2.06 vs. 10.26 ± 1.59, p = 0.042), and the maximum phonation time of /s/ (4.36 ± 1.67 vs. 8.09 ± 4.07, p < 0.001). Patients with stroke also had significantly lower values for swallowing efficiency and safety compared to the control group (7.05 ± 8.44 vs. 2.23 ± 4.14, p = 0.021) and reported poorer quality of life related to swallowing difficulties (185.50 ± 23.66 vs. 200.32 ± 19.60, p = 0.029). (4) Conclusions: Older adults with chronic stroke exhibited significantly reduced cough strength, voice intensity, maximum phonation time, and swallowing function compared to controls.