title: [Dysphagia and nutritional treatment: decision tree].
abstract: Dysphagia is very frequent in hospitals and the geriatric population. It leads to serious physical and psychological consequences such as aspiration, lung infection, progressive undernutrition which all impair the quality of life and the survival. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of dysphagia are therefore essential to avoid or minimize these complications which increase the length of hospital stay and cost. This review describes the symptoms and the clinical approach of dysphagia. The importance of informing and sensitizing all the health care providers to this pathology is highlighted. It also emphazised the need of an interdisciplinary management of dysphagia, including the dietetic approach.
authors.affiliation: Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Unité de Nutrition.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garo
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montorfani
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pichard
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D003663:Decision Trees; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000178:diet therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018529:Nutritional Support; D011788:Quality of Life