Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of dysphagia in the oldest-old population compared with younger elderly in this country.
Methods: 418 patients (364 men, 54 women) who complain swallowing difficulty underwent videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) were included in the analysis. The patients were divided into an elderly group, group I (60–79 years old, n=275) and the oldest-old group, group II (80–96 years old, n=143). Sex, cognition, body mass index (BMI), duration of symptoms, penetration aspiration scale(PAS), videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale(VDS) scores, and the etiologies of dysphagia were compared between the groups.
Results: The proportion of male, Korean version of the mini-mental state examination (K-MMSE) scores(p-value<0.001), and the duration of symptoms(p-value<0.000) were significantly higher or longer in group I than in group II.
The BMI were significantly higher in group I than in group II(p-value<0.027).
The PAS and VDS scores(p-values < 0.001) were significantly higher in group II than in group I, indicating that dysphagia was more severe in group II.
The proportion of central nervous system disorders was significantly higher in group I than in group II (p-value = 0.039). The proportion of other disorders was significantly higher in group II than in group I(p-value = 0.016). Especially, the proportion of poor general medical condition was significantly higher in group II than in group I (p-value <0.000).
Conclusion: Dysphagia in the oldest-old was more severe and progressed faster than in the younger elderly, and in the oldest-old, the etiology of dysphagia showed a higher proportion of other diseases not directly related to dysphagia. |
