Dysphagia and acute stroke, the influential factors and incidence.

Background: Dysphasia is known as one of the common issues among patients experiencing an acute stroke. A stroke can bring about disorders in various organs such as the mouth, tongue, palate, pharynx, larynx, and upper esophagus, as well as bearing consequences due to dysfunction of those organs. One of the affected vital functions is swallowing, which will result in aspiration, Choking, Pulmonary infection, and even death. This study aims to evaluate the incidence of Dysphagia (swallowing disorder) and its related factors to identify the disorder and its complications.

Methods: In this Perspective study, 100 stroke patients were included. Swallowing disorder, type of stroke, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale on arrival and time of discharge, gag reflex, and the 3 O.Z. Water Test results were studied, and data were analyzed using SPSS 24 software.

Results: The incidence of this disorder among these 100 patients is 45%, a significant percentage. Dysphagia in types of strokes was 100% in intracerebral hemorrhage and 39.6% in Ischemic (p-value< 0.001). As the severity of the stroke increases, the rate of dysphagia increases (minor stroke: 0%, moderate stroke: 29%, moderate to severe: 94%, severe:100%, p-value< 0.001). In 85.9% of the patients with normal GAG reflex, Dysphagia was incident, and 100% of those who aspirated in the 3OZ Water Test had Dysphagia.

Conclusion: Due to the high occurrence of swallowing disorders among stroke patients, immediate assessment and effective treatment of Dysphagia after any stroke can improve the quality of medical intervention and rehabilitation in the very first hours. Moreover, the steps above also decrease the rate of mortality owing to aspiration problems, prevent Pulmonary infection, shorten the hospitalization duration, and reduce hospital (treatment) costs.