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Published on: February 12, 2021
Gender effects on airway closure in normal subjects
Atsuko Kurosu1, Jeri A Logemann
1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, #3-358, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Older adults exhibit longer cricopharyngeal opening during swallowing. Women show significantly longer laryngeal closure duration and earlier onset compared to men, with bolus volume impacting both measures.
Area of Science:
- Deglutition physiology
- Gerontology
- Gender-specific physiological differences
Background:
- Swallowing involves complex coordination of laryngeal closure and cricopharyngeal opening.
- Age and gender may influence the biomechanics of swallowing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age and gender variations in laryngeal closure duration and cricopharyngeal opening during swallowing.
- To analyze the timing of laryngeal closure relative to cricopharyngeal opening.
- To assess the impact of bolus volume on these swallowing parameters.
Main Methods:
- Videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) were conducted on 60 healthy adults across three age groups (young, middle-aged, older).
- Participants included young (22-29 years), middle-aged (45-53 years), and older (81-94 years) men and women (10 per group).
- Liquid barium was used as the bolus material to evaluate swallowing dynamics.
Main Results:
- Older adults demonstrated significantly longer cricopharyngeal opening duration compared to younger adults (P=0.044).
- Women exhibited significantly longer laryngeal closure duration (P=0.013) and earlier onset of laryngeal closure (P=0.006) than men.
- Bolus volume significantly affected both laryngeal closure duration (P<0.0001) and cricopharyngeal opening (P<0.0001), with a linear increase observed for both parameters.
Conclusions:
- Age influences cricopharyngeal opening, with older individuals showing greater opening.
- Gender impacts laryngeal closure timing and duration, with women displaying distinct patterns.
- Swallowing parameters like laryngeal closure and cricopharyngeal opening are sensitive to bolus volume changes.
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