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. 2024 Dec;39(6):1065-1070.
doi: 10.1007/s00455-024-10682-6. Epub 2024 Mar 5.

Prevalence of Dysphagia and Risk of Malnutrition in Elderly Living in Nursing Homes

Alva Vilpi Engberg  1 , Gustav Rångevall  2 , Karin Eriksson  3   4 , Lisa Tuomi  5   6
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Prevalence of Dysphagia and Risk of Malnutrition in Elderly Living in Nursing Homes

Alva Vilpi Engberg et al. Dysphagia. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Swallowing difficulties commonly co-occur with malnutrition in the elderly. However, there is no consensus on which assessment tools to use, and thus reported prevalence varies. The aim of this study was to survey the prevalence of dysphagia and risk of malnutrition in elderly people in nursing homes, evaluate the possible associations between swallowing function and malnutrition and survey whether there were associations between self-perceived function and the results of a screening of dysphagia. A total of 35 residents (aged 67-100 years old) without serious cognitive impairment in the general wards of two nursing homes in Gothenburg were investigated. Swallowing ability was assessed with the Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS) test, self-rated swallowing ability with the 4QT and the Swedish Eating Assessment Tool-10 (S-EAT-10) and risk of malnutrition with the Minimal Eating Observation and Nutrition Form-Version 2 (MEONF-II). Eleven participants (31.4%) exhibited dysphagia according to the GUSS and 10 participants (29.4%) showed moderate or high risk of malnutrition. In total 16 (46%) participants reported abnormal swallowing on 4QT and 14 (40%) participants reported abnormal swallowing on S-EAT-10. However, less than half of these had dysphagia according to the GUSS. No association was found between swallowing ability measured by the GUSS and risk of malnutrition, although a tendency towards a weak association was noted, or self-rated swallowing ability measured by the 4QT and S-EAT-10. The study found that approximately one-third of the tested participants presented with signs of dysphagia as measured with the screening instrument GUSS, even though only a few were known to have any difficulties prior to testing. This highlights that dysphagia is probably more prevalent than patients themselves and caregivers are aware of, thus, screening is of importance, to enable safer nutritional intake.

Keywords: Deglutition; Dysphagia; Malnutrition; Nursing home; Swallowing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript. The authors have no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed in this article. Informed Consent: The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. All participants signed an informed consent before inclusion in the study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prevalence of dysphagia according to the Gugging swallowing screen (GUSS)
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