Prevalence And Clinical Correlation Of Dysphagia In Parkinson Disease

Objective:Dysphagia is a relatively common symptom in patients with Parkinson disease(PD)and can have a negative impact on their quality of life;therefore,it is imperative to study its prevalence and clinical characteristics in PD patients.The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and clinical correlation of dysphagia in Chinese PD patients by exploring a method for diagnosis because of the lack of any uniform diagnostic criteria and epidemiological studies.It also aimed to provide correlation data in Chinese PD patients.Methods:In this study,medical records of all 116 consecutive PD patients who were admitted into the Department of Neurology,the Second Affiliated Hospital ZhejiangUniversity School of Medicine,China,from January 2014 to November 2014,were reviewed.A videofluoroscopic study of swallowing(VFSS)was used to identify dysphagia.Assessments,including water drinking test,relative motor symptoms,non-motor symptoms(NMS),and quality of life,were performed to analyze the risks of dysphagia.Results:The prevalence of dysphagia was 87.1%.The comparison of demographic and clinical features between patients with and without dysphagia included sex,education level,disease course,Mini-mental State Examination(MMSE),Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Question 6,7 of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale(UPDRS Part Ⅱ),Hoehn-Yahr stage(H&Y),water drinking test,39-item Parkinson Disease Questionnaire(PDQ-39),and Non-Motor Symptoms Quest(NMSQ).Using age,disease course,and H&Y stage as the independent variable in our regression analysis for assessing the risk factors of dysphagia in PD patients,age and H&Y stage displayed a strong correlation as the risk factors.The results showed that the risk of dysphagia increases 0.078 time for each 1.0-year increase in age,and 2.260 times for each H&Y stage increase.Conclusion:Our results suggest that dysphagia is a relatively common symptom in Chinese PD patients.VFSS can significantly improve the diagnosis of dysphagia in PD patients.We found that age and H&Y stage had a significant correlation with dysphagia.Older patients or those in higher H&Y stages are more likely to experience dysphagia.There is no correlation between dysphagia and PD duration.