title: Evaluation of neurogenic dysphagia in Iraqi patients with acute stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clinically assess neurogenic dysphagia, and to correlate its presence with demographic features, different stroke risk factors, anatomical arterial territorial stroke types, and pathological stroke types.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-two stroke inpatients were studied between July 2007 and February 2008, at the Departments of Medicine and Neurology at Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, and Rizgary Teaching Hospital, Erbil, Iraq. All patients were assessed using the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability score (MASA), Modified Rankin Scale, and the Stroke Risk Scorecard. All patients were reassessed after one month.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 40 males and 32 females. Sixty-eight patients had ischemic stroke, and 4 had primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). According to the MASA score, 55% of anterior circulation stroke (ACS) cases were associated with dysphasia, and 91% of lateral medullary syndrome cases were associated with dysphagia. Fifty-six percent of ACS dysphagic cases improved within the first month. Forty percent of dysphagic patients died in the one month follow up period, and in most, death was caused by aspiration pneumonia. We observed no significant differences regarding demographic features of dysphagia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dysphagia can be an indicator of the severity of stroke causing higher mortality and morbidity in affected patients. It was not related to the stroke risk factors and the type of stroke. It is essential from a prognostic point of view to assess swallowing, and to treat its complications early.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Baghdad College of Medicine, Baghdad, Iraq.
authors.forename: Zeki N
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.forename: Ehsan K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Al-Shimmery
authors.forename: Mufeed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Taha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*