Affiliations:
Department of Human Development and Rehabilitation, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Mariana Mendes Bahia, Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126, Department of Human Development and Rehabilitation, School of Medical Sciences University of Campinas, Campinas, SP 13083-887, Brazil. Tel.: +55 19 3521 9142; E-mail: mariana_mbahia@yahoo.com.br.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Stroke is the leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Important sequels are frequent, including dysphagia and communication disorders. OBJECTIVE:to determine the prevalence of dysphagia and communication disorders following stroke, and to identify if communication disorders can predict dysphagia. METHODS:Thirty-one prospective and consecutive patients were admitted to the Otolaryngology-Dysphagia Outpatient Clinic with diagnosis of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Stroke was confirmed by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, and medical evaluation. All patients had a swallowing and communication evaluation. We compared patients with and without dysphagia, and established the co-occurrence among dysphagia and communication disorders. RESULTS:Twenty-five patients presented dysphagia. Aphasia occurred in 32.3% of the patients; dysarthria in 45.2% . Dysphagia and aphasia co-occurred in 29% of the population; dysphagia and dysarthria in 45.2% ; the three conditions co-occurred in 22.6% . Dysarthria was a predictor of dysphagia, and it was associated with the presence of oral stage problems. CONCLUSIONS:A comprehensive evaluation of dysphagia, aphasia, and dysarthria are important to improve clinical outcome following stroke. The identification of dysarthria as a predictor of dysphagia can help identify risk for dysphagia in stroke and assist in the therapeutic process of swallowing problems.
