Alterations in deglutition in children with congenital Zika virus syndrome.
Débora Rios, Mino Rios, Ana Caline Nóbrega and 7 others
PMID 36629551WHAT IT FOUND
Children with congenital Zika syndrome had frequent oral and pharyngeal swallowing difficulties, but acoustic Doppler tests showed no difference from typical children.
Clinical signs like gagging and panting were common, while instrument measures were not.
Key findings
01Children with congenital Zika syndrome presented with oropharyngeal dysphagia, with 28.9% classified as mild and 71.1% as moderate or severe.
02Clinical evaluations revealed significant differences in oral structures and swallowing function between children with congenital Zika syndrome and controls, including poor lip seal and tongue posture issues.
03Instrumental assessment using Sonar Doppler found no statistically significant differences in acoustic swallowing parameters between the two groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size may have been insufficient to detect differences in acoustic parameters. The study included only children with severe brain impairment and microcephaly, limiting generalizability to milder CZS phenotypes. Food volumes varied between children, which can affect acoustic swallowing signals. The control group was recruited at a later time than the CZS group.
Declared interests
Funded by CAPES, CNPq, and PPSUS/BA-FAPESB. No conflicts of interest declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume acoustic Doppler testing is a valid diagnostic tool for dysphagia in children with CZS based on this study, as it failed to detect differences that clinical evaluation clearly identified.