Session Information
Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Session Title: Parkinson's Disease: Pathophysiology
Session Time: 1:45pm-3:15pm
Location: Exhibit Hall C
Objective: To assess swallowing functions of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: Swallowing studies in PD without dysphagia symptoms are lacking and swallowing functions can be impaired whether the symptom of dysphagia is present or not, even in the early stages of PD, significantly affecting health and quality of life.
Methods: We prospectively enrolled 23 consecutive medically stable PD patients without severe cognitive impairment, 11 with swallowing complaints and 12 with no difficulty in swallowing. Demographic data such as age, sex, education, body mass index and oral hygiene, and disease characteristics including disease duration, stage of disease (Hoehn&Yahr), mental status and UPDRS part II (activities of daily living) and part III (motor symptoms) scores were recorded. All patients were assessed by Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), endoscopic (Penetration-Aspiration Scale, PAS, electrophysiologic (oral, pharyngeal and total phase duration and dysphagia limit), and ultrasonographic (masseter, temporalis, orbikularis oris, tongue, geniohyoid and anterior digastric resting muscles, masseter muscle, contour thickness and hyoid-thyroid fixed and moving distance measurement) evaluations.
Results: Patients with dysphagia symptoms had significantly higher endoscopic PAS (p = 0.001) and EAT-10 scores compared to asymptomatic patients. The duration of pharyngeal phase was longer and the thickness of geniohyoid muscle was decreased (p<0.05) significantly in symptomatic patients compared to asymptomatic patients. However, the duration of the oral phase, the thickness of the muscles contributing to the oral phase of swallowing, the anterior digastric muscle and the change between hyoid-thyroid distance were similar in both groups (p> 0.05).
Conclusions: Swallowing function in the oral phase is impaired even in asymptomatic patients with PD. We emphasize that an assessment of the swallowing function is important and should also be done in PD patients without dysphagia symptoms.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
E. Umay, E. Ozturk, I. Gundogdu, O. Delibas, A. Cakci, B. Gonenli, Y. Eren. Evaluation of Swallowing Function in Parkinson’s Disease Patients with and without Dysphagia Complaints [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2017; 32 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/evaluation-of-swallowing-function-in-parkinsons-disease-patients-with-and-without-dysphagia-complaints/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2017 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/evaluation-of-swallowing-function-in-parkinsons-disease-patients-with-and-without-dysphagia-complaints/