1. Dysarthria and dysphagia are highly prevalent among various types of neuromuscular diseases
- Author
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Baziel G.M. van Engelen, S. Knuijt, Alexander C. H. Geurts, Bert J. M. de Swart, Johanna G. Kalf, Gea Drost, and Henk T. Hendricks
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Pediatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,congenital, hereditary, and neonatal diseases and abnormalities ,Neuromuscular disease ,dysphagia ,DISORDERS ,Prevalence ,neuromuscular diseases ,Comorbidity ,ALLIED HEALTH-SERVICES ,Severity of Illness Index ,AMYOTROPHIC-LATERAL-SCLEROSIS ,SPEECH PRODUCTION ,Hospitals, University ,Dysarthria ,Disability Evaluation ,PARKINSONS-DISEASE ,Outpatients ,otorhinolaryngologic diseases ,Medicine ,Humans ,TOOL ,Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ,Disorders of movement Radboud Institute for Health Sciences [Radboudumc 3] ,MYASTHENIA-GRAVIS ,Referral and Consultation ,Netherlands ,Retrospective Studies ,Multidisciplinary assessment ,Chi-Square Distribution ,business.industry ,Rehabilitation ,Middle Aged ,Disorders of movement Donders Center for Medical Neuroscience [Radboudumc 3] ,medicine.disease ,Dysphagia ,Myasthenia gravis ,nervous system diseases ,Cohort ,Physical therapy ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Deglutition Disorders ,ONSET MYOTONIC-DYSTROPHY - Abstract
Item does not contain fulltext PURPOSE: Patients with a neuromuscular disease (NMD) can present with dysarthria and/or dysphagia. Literature regarding prevalence rates of dysarthria and dysphagia is scarce. The purpose of this study was to determine prevalence rates, severity and co-presence of dysarthria and dysphagia in adult patients with NMD. METHOD: Two groups of adult patients with NMD were included: 102 consecutive outpatients (the "unselected cohort") and 118 consecutive patients who were referred for multidisciplinary assessment (the "selected cohort"). An experienced speech-language pathologist examined each patient in detail. RESULTS: The pooled prevalence of dysarthria was 46% (95% CI: 36.5-55.9) and 62% (95% CI: 53.3-70.8) in the unselected and selected cohorts, respectively. The pooled prevalence of dysphagia was 36% (95% CI: 27.1-45.7) and 58% (95% CI: 49.4-67.2) in the unselected and selected cohorts, respectively. There was a modest but significant association between the presence of dysarthria and dysphagia (rs = 0.40; p < 0.01). Although the dysphagia was generally mild, dysarthria was moderate to severe in 15% of the dysarthric patients. CONCLUSION: The prevalence rates of dysarthria and dysphagia among patients with various types of NMD are high. Physicians should therefore be aware of this prevalence and consider referring NMD patients to a speech-language pathologist. IMPLICATONS OF REHABILITATION: Both dysarthria and dysphagia are highly prevalent among patients with neuromuscular diseases; moreover, although often mild, these disorders can occur relatively early in the course of the disease. Clinicians should routinely check for signs and symptoms related to dysarthria and/or dysphagia in patients who present with a neuromuscular disease, preferably using standardised instruments.
- Published
- 2014