Fecha de recepción: 07/05/2017 – Fecha de aceptación: 28/06/2017
Villamayor Blanco L
Servicio de Farmacia. Hospital Povisa. Vigo (España)
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Correspondencia:
Lucía Villamayor Blanco
Hospital Povisa (Servicio de Farmacia)
C/ Salamanca, 5
36211 Vigo (Pontevedra)
Correo electrónico: lvillamayor@povisa.es
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SUMMARY
Introduction and objectives: Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a highly prevalent condition among elderly hospitalized patients. Patients’ profile admitted to internal medicine unit mostly corresponds to octogenarian patients. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia in patients hospitalized in an internal medicine unit and evaluate the usefulness of the 10-item screening questionnaire Eating Assessment Tool (EAT)-10.
Methods: An observational, descriptive and transversal study including 22 patients who were admitted to the internal medicine service of a general hospital, in may 2016. We collected demographic data, diagnosis, comorbidities and the presence of oropharyngeal dysphagia. We have used the EAT-10 scale to evaluate dysphagia. If the EAT-10 score is ≥3, the patient is considered at risk of dysphagia.
Results: The total number of patients admitted to the internal medicine unit during the study period was 22, of whom 14 (63,6%) were female and 8 (36,4%) male, with a mean age of 83.6±10 years. Days of hospitalization were 9±11. The principal diagnosis were: 6 heart failure (27.3%), 8 respiratory infection (36.4%), 3 obstructive pulmonary disease (13.6%), 1 Alzheimer´s disease (4.5%), 2 kidney failure (9%), 2 cancer (9%). Almost half of the patients, 9 (40,9%) gave positive results for oropharyngeal dysphagia.
Conclusion: Multiple studies show that nutritional assessment, dysphagia evaluation, and prescription of thickening agents, have a positive impact on clinical evolution of the patients. EAT-10 test due to its simplicity and low cost, raises the possibility of an oropharyngeal dysphagia screening in every elderly hospitalized patient.
Key Words: Oropharyngeal, dysphagia, screening.