Dysphagia is closely related to frailty in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease

Güner M., Baş A. O., Ceylan S., Kahyaoğlu Z., Çöteli S., Ünsal P., ...Daha Fazla

BMC Geriatrics, cilt.23, sa.1, 2023 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 23 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1186/s12877-023-04020-y
  • Dergi Adı: BMC Geriatrics
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Dementia, Dysphagia, Frailty, Quality of life
  • Hacettepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Introduction: Physical phenotype and the cumulative deficit model are two well-known concepts of frailty. One of the main components of frailty is loss of muscle mass and function, which may also include swallowing muscles, therefore is a risk factor for dysphagia. Since dysphagia is seen starting from the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), in this study we aimed to reveal the relationship between frailty and dysphagia and dysphagia-related quality of life through Swallow Quality of Life (SwalQoL) tool in patients with AD and compare them with cognitively intact older adults. Methods: Comprehensive geriatric assessment, dysphagia evaluation by Eating-Assessment Tool (EAT-10) and SwalQoL questionnaire, and frailty assessment via FRAIL and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) were performed on all 101 participants of the study. Thirty-five patients were cognitively intact, 36 patients were diagnosed with mild AD, and 30 patients were diagnosed with moderate AD. Results: Sex distribution was similar between the groups, however, there was a statistically significant age difference. The prevalence of frailty increased according to both frailty indexes as the cognitive status deteriorated. All parameters of SwalQoL except fear and sleep parameters deteriorated as cognitive status impaired. In quantile regression of the total score of the SwalQoL questionnaire and multivariable logistic regression of EAT-10, frailty, as defined by CFS and FRAIL, was associated with dysphagia and poor quality of life regardless of age, presence of dementia, as well as nutritional status. Conclusion: Swallowing difficulties in AD negatively affects the quality of life, and it is closely related to frailty in mild-to-moderate AD.