title: Dysphagia in old-old women: prevalence as determined according to self-report and the 3-ounce water swallowing test.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether symptoms and clinical signs of swallowing dysfunction could be easily identified in community-dwelling elderly adults and to examine the association between self-report and direct observation of symptoms and signs of swallowing dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Physiological substudy conducted as a home visit within an observational cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baltimore City and County, Maryland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-dwelling elderly women without history of dysphagia or neurological disease aged 85 to 94 enrolled in the Women's Health and Aging Study II (N = 47).
  
  
  METHODS
  Three trials of the 3-ounce water swallowing test, swallowing function questionnaire, and frailty status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-four (72%) subjects demonstrated swallowing dysfunction in at least one swallowing trial and 16 (34%) in all three trials. The most common signs of dysfunction were throat clear and wet voice. Conversely, participants reported few symptoms of dysphagia on a swallowing function questionnaire. The most common symptom, reported by approximately 15% of participants, was the sensation of the food going "down the wrong way," 8.5% or fewer participants reported other symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Signs of swallowing dysfunction were present in a large majority of community-dwelling old-old women, but they were largely unrecognized and reported. Formal evaluation of swallowing function in community-dwelling elderly adults is necessary to determine the clinical consequences of these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Marlís
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González-Fernández
authors.forename: Ianessa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Humbert
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Winegrad
authors.forename: Anne R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Cappola
authors.forename: Linda P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Fried
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000375:Aging; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016330:Frail Elderly; D008396:Maryland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: dysphagia; screening; self-report; swallowing; water test