Correlation between Forced Vital Capacity and the Severity of Frailty-Induced Dysphagia

Introduction: Frailty syndrome is a complex condition characterized by the gradual deterioration of an individual’s physical, mental, and social functions. Dysphagia is a dysfunction triggered by frailty. However, in patients with frailty syndrome, dysphagia is often undermined, and a proper evaluation is not performed. Therefore, we tried to identify the factors that can provide proper information regarding dysphagia in the frail population. Methods: Patients with dysphagia were divided into those with frailty-induced dysphagia and those with brain-lesion-induced dysphagia. Factors related to the participants’ pulmonary function test (PFT) results were evaluated. The severity of dysphagia was evaluated by determining modified videofluoroscopic dysphagia scale (mVDS) and penetration−aspiration scale (PAS) scores based on videofluoroscopic swallowing studies. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the correlation between PFT results and the parameters indicating dysphagia severity. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that forced vital capacity (FVC) was significantly correlated with mVDS scores in frailty-induced dysphagia (p < 0.05). However, no such significance was detected in brain-lesion-induced dysphagia (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: FVC was correlated with the severity of dysphagia (mVDS scores) in patients with frailty-induced dysphagia. Thus, serial FVC-based follow-up can be helpful for understanding patients’ dysphagia status. However, studies with a general population of patients with frailty-induced dysphagia are needed for definite generalization.