Dysphagia Frequency and Associated Risk Factors in Geriatric Patients Receiving Home Care

Abstract

Objective: In our study, it was aimed to determine dysphagia prevalence in patients 65 years of age and older who were received home care and to assess factors associated with dysphagia. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in patients who were registered to Home Care Services of Samsun Training and Research Hospital between December 1, 2021, and March 1, 2022. In all patients, demographic data, level of dependence, nutrition methods, use of enteral nutrition supplement, body mass index (BMI), and comorbidity were assessed by Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) while dysphagia symptoms were assessed by Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) and nutritional status was assessed by Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 (NRS) using face-to-face interview method. Results: A total of 413 patients were included in our study, of which 62.5% (n=258) were female. Dysphagia symptoms were present in 44.6% (n=184). The dysphagia prevalence was significantly high in male patients (p=0.025), in patients aged ≥85 years (p=0.001), in those with high CCI score (p<0.001), in those with cerebrovascular disease (p<0.001), dementia (p<0.001), and hemiplegia (p=0.001), and in bedridden patients (p<0.001). Similarly, dysphagia prevalence was higher in patient with nutritional risk and those using enteral nutrition supplement (p<0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, it was found that dementia and increased nutritional risk were independent risk factors for presence of dysphagia symptoms (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our study showed a high prevalence of dysphagia in the geriatric patient population receiving home care. It has been determined that the rate of dysphagia is increased in patients with older age, nutritional risk, dementia, cerebrovascular disease, and multiple comorbidities.