Prevalence of Dysphagia and Risk of Malnutrition in Elderly Living in Nursing Homes.
Alva Vilpi Engberg, Gustav Rångevall, Karin Eriksson and 1 others
PMID 38441623WHAT IT FOUND
About one-third of screened nursing home residents had dysphagia, and one-fifth were at risk of malnutrition.
However, self-reported swallowing problems did not correlate with objective screening scores, meaning residents often miss their own difficulties.
Key findings
01Dysphagia was identified in 31.4% of participants using the Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS).
02There was no significant association between objectively assessed dysphagia and risk of malnutrition, nor between self-reported swallowing function and objective screening results.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (n=35) and exclusion of residents with cognitive impairments (e.g., dementia) limits generalizability, as these groups are at higher risk for dysphagia and malnutrition. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality between dysphagia and malnutrition risk. Screening tools like GUSS may miss silent aspiration, potentially underestimating dysphagia severity. Only 64% of eligible residents participated, introducing potential selection bias.
Declared interests
Funded by the University of Gothenburg. No other conflicts of interest declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that residents without self-reported swallowing issues are free of dysphagia. In this study, self-reported symptoms did not correlate with objective screening results, meaning silent or unacknowledged difficulties were likely missed.