[Labial closure force, activities of daily living, and cognitive function in frail elderly persons].

Aim: Few studies have reported the influence of declining labial closure force on ADL among frail elderly persons. We therefore investigated to elucidate the relationships among labial closure force, ADL and cognitive function in frail elderly persons.

Methods: The subjects were 92 frail elderly persons. Labial closure forces were examined using "Lip De Cum". The ADL and cognitive status of the subjects were evaluated using the ADL20 scale and HDS-R respectively. Furthermore, the symptoms related to dysphagia and salivation were evaluated by a patient-reported outcome.

Results: The labial closure force was significantly related to total score and each sub-score of the ADL20 scale, and it was also related to HDS-R score. Furthermore, the labial closure force was significantly associated with salivation and 5 symptoms related to dysphagia as follows: weight loss, episodes of pyrexia, difficulties in swallowing, food falling from the mouth, sensation of food being stuck in the esophagus.

Conclusion: Labial closure force among frail elderly persons correlated with ADL and cognitive function. These findings suggest that declining labial closure force is closely related with decreasing comprehensive physical and mental activities.