Swallowing Disorders in Acute Stroke Patients

Abstract

Oropharyngeal dysphagia following stroke is underestimated and underdiagnosed. Longstanding swallowing problems place patients at risk for pneumonia and denutrition. It occurs in more than 50% of the stroke patients, and improvement has been noted in most of them within 2 weeks of medication. Aspiration pneumonia occurs in 20% of the strokes patients. Clinical assessment should explore the nature and the severity of the disorder before beginning oral renutrition. Patients could be assessed using videofluoroscopic or videoendoscopic evaluations. Swallowing therapies by trained team may decrease the pulmonary complications and improve the patients’ quality of life after stroke.