Associations between tongue strength and skeletal muscle mass under dysphagia rehabilitation for geriatric out patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how skeletal muscle mass influences the effectiveness of dysphagia rehabilitation.

Methods: The cross-sectional study and the prospective cohort study were conducted in a clinic, specialized in rehabilitation of patients with dysphagia, located in Tokyo, Japan. Skeletal muscle mass measurement by bioelectrical impedance analysis and tongue strength measurement were performed on 178 outpatients with dysphagia. In addition, the Barthel Index, Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form, and Functional Oral Intake Scale values were measured. Dysphagia rehabilitation was performed, and 88 of the patients who were available for follow-up one year later were included in a follow-up study. In the cross-sectional study, the associations between tongue strength and other factors were examined. In the follow-up study, factors associated with rehabilitation effectiveness, shown by tongue strength, were examined.

Results: Tongue strength and skeletal muscle mass were correlated, and both decreased as eating and swallowing function level decreased. After one year of dysphagia rehabilitation, tongue strength and skeletal muscle mass increased. The factors associated with the amount of increase in tongue strength were initial tongue strength and skeletal muscle mass.

Conclusions: For patients with dysphagia, maintenance of skeletal muscle mass was associated with improvement of tongue strength in rehabilitation. This indicates that prevention of sarcopenia in dysphagia patients contributes to the effect of rehabilitation.