Highlights
- •Most of patients with MS have dysphagia and reduced swallowing related quality of life.
- •Early assessment of dysphagia is crucial for patients with MS in order to prevent aspiration pneumonia and other dysphagia-related complications.
- •An easy to score, rapid, reliable, validated and MS specific assessment tool should be used to screen dysphagia during routine clinical practice.
- •Patients with MS have documented dysphagia in SWALQoL and DYMUS questionnaires.
- •DYMUS is a MS-specific questionnaire that is well correlated to SWALQoL and it can be used as an initial screening tool in neurology clinics.
Abstract
Background
Dysphagia is a life-threating symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) because
aspiration pneumonia develops as a consequence of swallowing disorders. Dysphagia
can be detected by using patient-reported outcome measures in order to prevent complications.
Objective
To identify the dysphagia prevalence, severity, and swallowing related quality of
life (QoL), by using two validated dysphagia questionnaires.
Method
Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis (DYMUS) and Swallowing Quality of Life (SWALQoL) questionnaires
were collected from 64 patients with MS.
Results
The mean total SWALQoL score was 67.9 (±11.2) and the mean DYMUS score was 2.02 (±1.3).
The highest mean SWALQoL subdomain score belonged to communication (76.7 ± 15.8),
and the lowest score belonged to sleep (54.2 ± 12.2). There was a significant correlation
between age and DYMUS and SWALQoL scores (r: 0.539 and r: -0.610 respectively, P < .001). Additionally, there was a significant moderate correlation between disease
duration and DYMUS and SWALQoL scores (r: 0.693 and r: -0.697 respectively, P < .001). DYMUS and SWALQoL scores did not vary between males and females (P > .05). Patients with secondary progressive MS had higher DYMUS and lower SWALQoL
scores (more dysphagia) than in primary progressive or relapsing-type MS.
There was a strong, negative and statistically significant correlation between DYMUS
and total SWALQoL scores (Spearman's rho: -0.862, p < .001).
Conclusion
MS causes dysphagia and reduces QoL. Age, disease duration, and MS type are major
factors that influence SWALQoL. DYMUS and SWALQoL are well correlated. DYMUS is an
easy to answer tool that may advised for screening dysphagia in patients with MS.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 13, 2020
Accepted:
July 13,
2020
Received in revised form:
June 22,
2020
Received:
May 22,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
