Dysphagia can lead to severe depression, says study

Swallowing affects the physical and mental health of all human beings. 1 in 17 people will develop some form of dysphagia in their lifetime. Dysphagia is an important alarm symptom; however, the epidemiology remains poorly defined.

Dysphagia in general population is present from aged >50 years due to which they may need to compromise with their meals or favourite food which shows the impact on their quality of life. Avoiding swallowing specific food, fluids or pills may result in malnutrition and weight loss. Not only does eating provide nutrients, but it also serves as an important role in social interaction.

Dr Govathi Nikhila Karpuram, Dysphagiologist — speech pathologist at Medanta — The Medicity talks about how depression is related to dysphagia. Severity and symptoms of dysphagia defer from condition to condition based on their site and size of lesion/condition.

Depression after dysphagia depends on the severity of the condition.

Researches say that prevalence rate of Dysphagia in general population is about 11 per cent and 40-70 per cent in stroke patients, 60-80 per cent patients with Neurodegenerative disease and up to 13 per cent of adults aged 65 and older

◗ Dysphagia in general population is present from aged >50 years due to which they may need to compromise with their meals or favourite food which shows the impact on their quality of life

>51 per cent of institutionalised elderly patients. 6070 per cent of patients who undergo radiotherapy for Head and Neck cancer.

In post-stroke patients, depression is common and affects almost one-third of stroke survivors at any one time after stroke and has a deleterious effect not only on the motivation but also on the cognitive functions, physical abilities, dysphagia, with speech and language issues.

It should be logically expected that post-stroke depression has a negative impact on functional recovery due to which it shows the effect on their quality of life.

If we see in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) it is a Neurodegenerative disease that affects 1.4 per cent of the population over the age of 55 years and 4.3 per cent of population 85 years of age and older. Swallowing disturbances comprise a common complication (up to 95 per cent) of the patient with PD and are considered to be a major cause of death.

Dysphagia occurs frequently in patients with PD and more so in those who have reached the advanced stage of the disease which make them compromise with their quality of life and may lead to depression.

Swallowing problem in dementia patients may occur with different factors.