Swallowing disorders in elderly patients with neurological deficits

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using a standardized tool, the Brief Bedside Dysphagia Screening Test-Revised (BBDST-R). The study comprised 141 patients. Data were statistically processed; the sensitivity and specificity of the screening tool were calculated. The level of significance was set at 5%.

Results: In the sample, the majority of screening results were positive (67.4%), that is, most patients had possible swallowing disorders. There was a statistically significant difference in the presence of possible dysphagia depending on cognitive functioning. As many as 77% of individuals with cognitive impairment had possible dysphagia. Analysis of the data suggested an increase in the proportion of individuals with possible dysphagia with increasing age. The sensitivity of the screening test with regard to speech pathology assessment was 100% (CI = 89.7–100.0%.). The mean time needed to complete the BBDST-R in one person was 1.3 minutes.

Conclusion: For its high sensitivity and short completion time, the BBDST-R is suitable for use in clinical practice to detect possible swallowing disorders in elderly patients with neurological deficits.