Sarcopenic Dysphagia and Simplified Rehabilitation Nutrition Care Process: An Update

Abstract

Sarcopenic dysphagia is characterized by weakness of swallowing-related muscles associated with whole-body sarcopenia. As the number of patients with sarcopenia increases with the aging of the world, the number of patients with sarcopenic dysphagia is also increasing. The prevalence of sarcopenic dysphagia is high in the institutionalized older people and in patients hospitalized for pneumonia with dysphagia in acute care hospitals. Prevention, early detection and intervention of sarcopenic dysphagia with rehabilitation nutrition are essential. The diagnosis of sarcopenic dysphagia is based on skeletal and swallowing muscle strength and muscle mass. A reliable and validated diagnostic algorithm for sarcopenic dysphagia is used. Sarcopenic dysphagia is associated with malnutrition, which leads to mortality and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) decline. The rehabilitation nutrition approach improves swallowing function, nutrition status, and ADL. A combination of aggressive nutrition therapy to improve nutrition status, dysphagia rehabilitation, physical therapy, and other interventions can be effective for sarcopenic dysphagia. The rehabilitation nutrition care process is used to assess and problem solve the patient’s pathology, sarcopenia, and nutrition status. The simplified rehabilitation nutrition care process consists of a nutrition cycle and a rehabilitation cycle, each with five steps: assessment, diagnosis, goal setting, intervention, and monitoring. Nutrition professionals and teams implement the nutrition cycle. Rehabilitation professionals and teams implement the rehabilitation cycle. Both cycles should be done simultaneously. The nutrition diagnosis of undernutrition, overnutrition/obesity, sarcopenia, and goal setting of rehabilitation and body weight are implemented collaboratively.

The Effect of Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Field on Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review

“…Cicho ń et al [27] suggest that such results may be related to the pro-antioxidant effect of ELF-MFs, as oxidative stress negatively impacts brain plasticity, which hinders motor recovery and contributes to the progressive decline in cognitive abilities, which can significantly influence independence in ADL. Factors other than motor functions and cognitive abilities, such as pain, spasticity or nutritional status, also influence ADL [56][57][58]. However, these factors were not investigated in the studies included in this review, therefore caution should be exercised in interpreting the presented results.…”