<p>Dysphagia In Multiple Sclerosis Patients: Diagnostic And Evaluation Strategies</p>

Abstract

Dysphagia after multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common disabling symptom which can lead to serious complications. Regular screening and assessment of dysphagia in patients with MS are important. Using valid and reliable instruments to measure dysphagia in MS patients is a crucial component in clinical practice and of research quality. There are various strategies to diagnose and assess the dysphagia in patients with MS. Screening strategies are for early diagnosis of the dysphagia. Clinical, non-instrumental strategies are used to verify the presence and to determine the severity and cause of dysphagia. Instrumental strategies are complementary to clinical examination to provide objective data on the various aspects of swallowing dysfunctions. This review revealed a few validated tools for dysphagia assessment in MS. The Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire (DYMUS) and the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA) are the only validated MS-specific dysphagia tools. Further development of valid and reliable MSspecific screening and assessment tools that can be administered rapidly and scored easily to detect dysphagia and evaluate clinical outcomes in adults with MS is imperative. Until then, validation and metric evaluation of the screening and assessment tools currently available are required.

The Preventive Effect of Dysphagia Screening on Pneumonia in Acute Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Various tools have been used in previous studies for dysphagia screening. A swallowing test with water or a semisolid food and a survey asking about the presence of aspiration and swallowing function were used to evaluate the presence of dysphagia [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. The videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) is a gold-standard tool for assessing swallowing disorders and oropharyngeal aspiration [ 19 ].…”

Prevalence of dysphagia in patients with multiple sclerosis; a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…There are numerous diagnostic methods for dysphagia. (14) In our study we focused on four major methods including instrumental strategies, screening strategies, clinical examinations, and non-instrumental methods. Instrumental methods include video fluoroscopic swallowing examination strategy and fiberoptic endoscopic examination of swallowing strategy.…”

“…Screening strategies consist of valid and reliable questionnaires designed to screen specifically MS patients for dysphagia, examples of such questionnaires include but are not limited to the Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis (DYMUS) questionnaire, the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) questionnaire, the 3-Ounce (90-cc) Water Swallow test, the Dysphagia Screening Questionnaire for MS (DSQMS), and the Northwestern Dysphagia Patient Check Sheet (NDPCS) questionnaire. (8,14–17) Non-instrumental methods are quite uncommon, therefore we coined the term “other methods” to represent studies whose main screening tests were either non-instrumental strategies, or any method other than instrumental, clinical, and screening methods.…”

Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation in people with multiple sclerosis: a review

“…Combinational approaches using tDCS and validated therapies could also be considered. The implementation of validated measures of dysphagia like the Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire and the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability as outcome measures is mandatory to prevent discrepancy between protocols and results from various studies [57].…”