Features of nutritional support for dysphagia. The role of a speech therapist

Neurogenic oropharyngeal dysphagia remains a widespread complication of neurological diseases. Its prevalence in stroke patients reaches 50%, among patients with multiple sclerosis — 44%, with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — 60%, after brain injury — 50%, with Parkinson’s disease — 84%. Neurogenic oropharyngeal dysphagia can lead to a decrease in food intake, development of malnutrition and dehydration, and can also be complicated by the development of aspiration pneumonia, followed by death. Currently, the detection of dysphagia in hospitalized patients is often carried out late or outside the algorithm, which significantly increases the risk of nutritional deficiency, decreased quality of life, and other complications when eating. A clinical study of the swallowing function at the earliest possible time of hospitalization avoids delays in diagnosis and timely determines the feeding tactics of a patient with neurogenic dysphagia. The assessment of the swallowing function should be carried out in the first hours of the patient’s hospitalization, and the main conclusion to be drawn from the results of a clinical study of the swallowing function is whether the patient can receive food through the mouth to satisfy nutritional needs.

Despite the urgency of the problem of the development of nutritional deficiency in patients with dysphagia, there are few specific recommendations in the Russian literature on the stages of diagnosis, medical rehabilitation and nutritional support for this category of patients. This review is devoted to the analysis of the need for correct diagnosis and rehabilitation of patients with dysphagia and the impact of dysphagia on the quality of life and nutritional status of the patients.