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Sarcopenia is an Independent Risk Factor for Dysphagia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

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Abstract

Dysphagia is common in older adults and associated with increased socioeconomic burdens. Recently, sarcopenia is considered to be a possible contributor for dysphagia. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of dysphagia with sarcopenia in a geriatric population in Korea. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA). Community-dwelling men and women aged 65 years and older without common causes of dysphagia in Seongnam City, Korea were included (N = 236). Dysphagia was screened using Standardized Swallowing Assessment. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was calculated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Grip strength and long-distance corridor walk were assessed. Of 236 subjects, 54 (22.9%) showed dysphagia and 38 (16.1%) showed sarcopenia. Fourteen (5.9%) participants were diagnosed with sarcopenic dysphagia. In multiple logistic regression analysis for dysphagia, sarcopenia was the only significant variable with odds ratio of 2.738 (95% confidence interval 1.160–6.466). Sarcopenia was associated with increased risk of dysphagia in community-dwelling older adults having no common causes of dysphagia even after adjusting for possible confounders. A prospective study with a larger sample size is needed to reveal their causal relationship in the future.

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Acknowledgements

Ki Woong Kim received a Grant from the Korean Health Technology R&D project funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea (Grant No. HI09C1379 [A092077]). Nam-Jong Paik received a grant from the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (Grant No. 12-2013-007).

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  1. Seungwoo Cha and Won-Seok Kim have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 82, Gumi-ro 173 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 13620, Korea

    Seungwoo Cha, Won-Seok Kim & Nam-Jong Paik

  2. Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, Korea

    Ki Woong Kim

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

    Ki Woong Kim & Ji Won Han

  4. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea

    Ki Woong Kim & Ji Won Han

  5. Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea

    Hak Chul Jang & Soo Lim

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  1. Seungwoo Cha
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Correspondence to Nam-Jong Paik.

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Cha, S., Kim, WS., Kim, K.W. et al. Sarcopenia is an Independent Risk Factor for Dysphagia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Dysphagia 34, 692–697 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-018-09973-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-018-09973-6

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