[Relationship between Dysphagia and Daytime Sleepiness among Japanese Workers]

In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT10) score, a screening index for dysphagia, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score, which evaluates daytime sleepiness in Japanese workers.

A cross-sectional study of 496 workers (454 men and 42 women) at two business locations in Japan was conducted from November 2021 to June 2022. Dysphagia was assessed using the score of EAT10, a self-administered questionnaire. Daytime sleepiness was evaluated by calculating the score of ESS, a self-administered questionnaire. To examine the correlation between the degree of dysphagia (EAT10 score) and the degree of daytime sleepiness (ESS score), Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was calculated. Logistic regression analysis was performed with the presence or absence of daytime sleepiness as the dependent variable and the presence or absence of dysphagia and basic attributes as the independent variables, and the effect of dysphagia on daytime sleepiness was evaluated using odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

EAT10 scores of 3 or higher accounted for 5.6% of the total number of participants. High ESS scores (3 or higher) were significantly more frequent in the high-EAT10score group (odds ratio, 3.92: 95% confidence interval, 1.54-10.1) when adjusting for the effects of gender, age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, and smoking.

This study suggests that dysphagia may be associated with daytime sleepiness in Japanese workers. Even a method using only a simple self-administered questionnaire may enable early detection and treatment of dysphagia and excessive daytime sleepiness.