Prevalence and Risk Factors of Dysphagia in Patients with Sarcopenia: A Meta-Analysis

Sarcopenia is a progressive skeletal muscle disorder characterized by the loss of muscle mass and function, which has been associated with an increased risk of dysphagia. Although previous studies have established an association between sarcopenia and dysphagia, the precise prevalence of dysphagia in patients with sarcopenia remains inadequately determined. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of dysphagia in patients with sarcopenia. We systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI, Wan Fang, and CBM for studies related to sarcopenia and dysphagia published from the establishment of the databases until January 16, 2025. Relevant literature on the coexistence of sarcopenia and dysphagia was retrieved, followed by a meta-analysis performed using Stata 15.0. The prevalence and risk factors of dysphagia in patients with sarcopenia were analyzed. A total of 24 studies comprising 9,543 patients were included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence of dysphagia in patients with sarcopenia was 31% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.22-0.40). Age (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 0.75-3.66), tongue strength (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.89-1.04), and malnutrition (OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 0.46-7.26) were identified as major risk factors for dysphagia in patients with sarcopenia. In conclusion, the prevalence of dysphagia in patients with sarcopenia was 31%, with age, tongue strength, and malnutrition identified as primary risk factors. However, due to the limited number of studies included and the failure to combine multiple individual risk factors, the clinical significance needs further investigation. Future multi-regional studies are required to confirm these factors.