Drooling may be Associated with Dysphagia Symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis.
Merve Sapmaz Atalar, Gençer Genç, Serpil Bulut
PMID 38369562WHAT IT FOUND
Multiple sclerosis patients who drooled reported more swallowing symptoms.
People with the most swallowing symptoms had 13.2 times higher drooling risk. This small study shows a link, not that swallowing problems cause drooling.
Key findings
01Droolers reported more swallowing symptoms on the DYMUS questionnaire (mean 3.65) than non-droolers (mean 1.42).
02Those in the highest quarter of DYMUS scores had 13.2 times higher drooling risk than those in the lowest quarter.
03Droolers had a higher measured saliva flow rate (0.24 g/min) than non-droolers (0.15 g/min), although both groups were below the level accepted as hypersalivation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 39 people from one tertiary MS center, so the results may not apply to all people with MS. Drooling was judged by a self-completed scale, and dysphagia was judged by a symptom questionnaire rather than instrumental swallowing assessment, so the study cannot show that swallowing problems cause drooling. The DYMUS score reflects swallowing symptoms, not confirmed dysphagia. The sample was 24 to 61 years old, so it does not address older adults, which may matter for age-related drooling risk. Medication use, swallowing frequency, and cognitive impairment were not examined as possible causes of drooling.
Declared interests
The supplied text names the University of Health Sciences as funder and gives no author conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 13.2 times higher risk as proof that swallowing problems cause drooling. The study was observational, used a symptom questionnaire, and did not confirm swallowing problems with instrumental assessment.