Distribution of Different Pathologies of Dysphagia and Related Risk Factors in Patients with Neurological Disorders

Background and Objective: Swallowing disorders can occur in various diseases, primarily neurological ones. This study investigated the distribution pattern of swallowing disorders in different pathologies of patients and the related risk factors. Materials and Methods: The 323 medical files of neurological patients of Sina Hamadan Specialized Hospital (Hamadan, Iran) in the first six months of 2016 were analyzed in terms of pathologies related to dysphagia and factors aggravating the disorder. Furthermore, the relationships between them were investigated using x2 and independent samples t-test. Results: According to the studied files, 46.1% of patients were hospitalized with stroke pathology involving the highest percentage of dysphagia. The most and least important risk factors related to dysphagia, intubation, and pathologies, other than stroke, were 100% and 10.9%, respectively (P<0.001). Conclusion: Considering the high incidence of swallowing disorders in neurological patients, especially stroke, and also considering aphasia as one of the most important disorders along with dysphagia that can cause more complexity of the disorder, it is necessary to plan for team treatments with the presence of a swallowing therapist