Dysphagia development in heart failure patients: A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Cardiology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Dysphagia is a common and serious condition in older adults.
• Heart failure (HF) is prevalent in the elderly population and can exacerbate health issues.
• The interplay between HF and dysphagia in older adults requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review on the development of dysphagia in heart failure (HF) patients.
• To identify contributing factors to dysphagia in this population.
• To understand the prevalence and risk factors of dysphagia in older adults with HF.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and CENTRAL databases up to September 2023.
• Inclusion of studies focusing on HF patients aged 60 and above, with a specific interest in post-hospitalization dysphagia.
• Analysis of nine relevant studies identified from 1,076 initial records.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of dysphagia at admission for HF patients was 23.6% (95% CI: 14.1-32.9), persisting in 9.4% (95% CI: 4.5-13.8) by discharge.
• Identified risk factors for dysphagia include advanced age, high inflammation, low energy intake, low Barthel Index scores, poor oral health, antipsychotic use, and reduced tongue pressure.
• Evaluation of dysphagia predominantly relies on oral intake assessments.

Conclusions:

• Dysphagia significantly develops in HF patients, with a 23.6% prevalence of new-onset dysphagia.
• Key risk factors identified are older age, high inflammation, low activities of daily living, and sarcopenia.
• Future research should explore sarcopenia's impact, cachexia, and utilize objective swallowing assessments in diverse patient samples.