Swallowing in patients with Parkinson's disease: a surface electromyography study.
Our goal was to study deglutition of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and normal controls (NC) using surface electromyography (sEMG). The study included 15 patients with idiopathic PD and 15 age-matched normal controls. Surface electromyography was collected over the suprahyoid muscle group. Conditions were the following: swallow at once 10 and 20 ml of water and 5 and 10 ml of yogurt of firm consistency, and freely drink 100 ml of water. During swallowing, durations of sEMG were significantly longer in PD patients than in normal controls but no significant differences of amplitudes were found. Eighty percent of the PD patients and 20 % of the NC needed more than one swallow to consume 20 ml of water, while 70 % of the PD patients and none of the NC needed more than one swallow to consume 5 ml of yogurt. PD patients took significantly more time and needed significantly more swallows to drink 100 ml of water than normal controls. We conclude that sEMG might be a simple and useful tool to study and monitor deglutition in PD patients.
Department of Anatomy, Federal University of Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, Brazil. gracawander@hotmail.com
Maria das Graças
Md
Ws Coriolano
Luciana
L
R Belo
Danielle
D
Carneiro
Amdore
A
G Asano
Paulo José
PJ
Al Oliveira
Douglas Monteiro
DM
da Silva
Otávio
O
G Lins
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index