Dysphagia and its association with other health-related risk factors in institutionalized older people: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Dysphagia is considered a geriatric syndrome that is characterized by inability to or difficulty in safely and effectively forming or moving the food bolus toward the esophagus. This pathology is very common and affects approximately 50% of institutionalized older people. Dysphagia is often accompanied by high nutritional, functional, social, and emotional risks. This relationship implies a higher rate of morbidity, disability, dependence, and mortality in this population. This review is aimed at studying the relationship between dysphagia and different health-related risk factors in institutionalized older people.

Method: We conducted a systematic review. The bibliographic search was performed in the Web of Science, Medline, and Scopus databases. Data extraction and methodological quality were evaluated by two independent researchers.

Results: Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A clear relationship between the development and progression of dysphagia and a high nutritional, cognitive, functional, social, and emotional risk in institutionalized older adults was found.

Conclusions: There is an important relationship between these health conditions that shows the need for research and new approaches to considerations such as their prevention and treatment as well as the design of protocols and procedures that will help reduce the percentage of morbidity, disability, dependence, and mortality in older people.

Keywords: Cognitive impairment; Dysphagia; Institutionalized; Older people; Risk factors; Swallowing pathologies.