Dysphagia and the prevalence of chronic kidney disease: a cross-sectional study

With an aging global population, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has increased. Dysphagia is a major challenge in this population. However, little information is available regarding the association between dysphagia and the prevalence of CKD. We aimed to evaluate whether a severity-dependent association exists between dysphagia and CKD.

This retrospective cross-sectional study included 520 patients, aged ≥ 65 years, who had been admitted to Izumo Medical Life Cooperative Izumo-shimin Hospital from April 2022 to May 2023. Dysphagia was assessed using a modified water swallowing test with a rating scale of 1-5. A score of 1-3 represented dysphagia. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤ 60 mL/min/1.73 m². An association between dysphagia and the prevalence of CKD was assessed using logistic regression models adjusting for clinically relevant factors.

CKD was observed in 19 (38.0%), 246 (57.9%), and 28 (62.2%) patients with normal deglutition, nearly normal deglutition, and dysphagia, respectively. Multivariable-adjusted models showed that dysphagia was associated with the prevalence of CKD (adjusted odds ratios of patients with dysphagia vs. those with normal deglutition: 2.51 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-6.20) Additionally, a severity-dependent association between dysphagia and the prevalence of CKD was observed [1.00 (reference), 1.76 (0.92-3.36), 2.43 (0.96-6.16), and 3.24 (0.42-25.0) in patients with no, almost no, mild, and moderate-to-severe dysphagia, respectively; p for trend = 0.044].

Dysphagia was associated with the prevalence of CKD in a severity-dependent manner.