Dysphagia in Dementia: Influence of Dementia Severity and Food Texture on the Prevalence of Aspiration and Latency to Swallow in Hospitalized Geriatric Patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate influences of disease severity and food texture on prevalence and type of dysphagia in hospitalized geriatric patients.


METHODS
We screened for dysphagia in 161 geriatric inpatients with different forms of dementia and 30 control patients.


METHODS
Signs of aspiration were registered with 3 different food consistencies (water, apple puree, and slice of an apple) and the latency until the first swallow was documented.


METHODS
Geriatric department of an academic teaching hospital in Hamburg, Germany.


RESULTS
Compared with the controls, patients with dementia more often showed signs of aspiration. In the patients with dementia, signs of aspiration occurred more frequently with water (35.6%) than with a slice of an apple (15.1%) or apple puree (6.3%). We observed an inverse relationship between Mini-Mental State Examination score level and the suspected rate of aspiration, as well as with the length of latency until the first swallow of puree.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of dysphagia is high in patients with dementia, especially in patients with moderate to severe cognitive impairment. The relationships observed in this study encourage screening for dysphagia and adapting meal consistencies to prevent aspiration in patients with dementia.
Kath. Marienkrankenhaus GmbH, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: roesler@geriatrie.marienkrankenhaus.org.
Alexander
A
Rösler
Regio Klinikum Pinneberg, Pinneberg, Germany.
Silke
S
Pfeil
Albertinen-Haus, Zentrum für Geriatrie und Gerontologie, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
Hendrik
H
Lessmann
Retired from Rheumaklinik Bad Bramstedt, Hamburg, Germany.
Jürgen
J
Höder
Albertinen-Haus, Zentrum für Geriatrie und Gerontologie, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
Alina
A
Befahr
Albertinen-Haus, Zentrum für Geriatrie und Gerontologie, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
Wolfgang
W
von Renteln-Kruse
D000368:Aged; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
Dementia; aspiration pneumonia; dysphagia; nutrition