Self-assessment of risk of dysphagia and clinical-functional vulnerability in older adults with a history of leprosy.
Maria Clara Rocha, Aline Mansueto Mourão, Jéssica Danielle Santos de Jesus and 2 others
PMID 41379199WHAT IT FOUND
Among 117 older adults with a history of leprosy, 22 reported swallowing risk on a self-check tool.
Being 80 to 99 or frail was linked to reporting risk. For those at risk, eating time was the most affected quality-of-life area.
Key findings
01Among 117 older adults with a history of leprosy, 22 self-assessed themselves at risk of dysphagia on the EAT-10.
02Frail older adults were 4.55 times more likely to self-assess dysphagia risk than robust older adults, and those aged 80 to 99 were 3.78 times more likely than those aged 64 to 79.
03Among older adults at risk of dysphagia, the greatest SWAL-QOL impairment was eating duration at 19.3 on a 0 to 100 scale, while communication scored 88.0 and social scored 86.8.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional study, so it cannot show that age or frailty caused dysphagia risk. The outcome was self-assessed risk on the EAT-10, not a clinical swallowing diagnosis. There was no comparison group of older adults without a history of leprosy, so the study cannot say how much leprosy itself contributed to swallowing risk. The sample came from one institution in Brazil, and 90 participants had no natural teeth while 75.2% had incomplete elementary education. The analysis did not fit a multivariate model because age and vulnerability were related, so the separate contribution of each could not be tested. Nutritional status was not assessed, although the paper notes it can affect swallowing risk and prognosis.
Declared interests
Financial support came from CAPES with funding code 001 and from the Pró-reitoria de Pesquisa at UFMG through a scientific initiation scholarship.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the association with age and frailty as proof that leprosy history caused dysphagia. The study had no comparison group without leprosy, and dysphagia risk was self-reported rather than clinically confirmed.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →