Differences in cough strength, respiratory function, and physical performance in older adults with and without low swallowing function in the repetitive saliva swallowing test.
Hideo Kaneko, Akari Suzuki, Yoshiharu Nagai and 1 others
PMID 38694018WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with low swallowing screening had weaker cough and breathing muscles than matched controls.
Lung function and physical tests were similar. The analysis included 14 low swallowing and 14 controls.
Key findings
01Participants with low swallowing screening had significantly lower peak cough flow and lower maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures than matched controls.
02Lung function and physical performance did not show statistically significant differences between the groups.
03No participant reported a history of pneumonia.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The analysis included only 14 low swallowing and 14 control participants after exclusions and matching. Swallowing was screened by the repetitive saliva swallowing test, not videofluoroscopic swallowing study, so aspiration was not confirmed. The design was cross-sectional, so no causal relationship could be established. Participants were community-dwelling, ambulatory, and independent, and people with pulmonary disease, neurological disease, airflow limitation, or pneumonia history were excluded, so findings may not apply to frailer or more impaired older adults. One low swallowing participant did not match the control on age.
Declared interests
The work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI Grant number JP26350842). The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower cough and breathing muscle pressures as proof that low swallowing causes pneumonia risk. The study was cross-sectional, included only 14 matched pairs, and all but one low RSST participant had peak cough flow above 160 L/min with no reported pneumonia history.