Examination of factors associated with aspiration pneumonia following stroke

• Published in: Oral science international 2014-01, Vol.11 (1), p.15-21
• Main Authors: Watanabe, Satoshi, Shimozato, Kazuo, Oh-Shige, Hideo, Umemura, Masahiro, Fujiwara, Shigeyoshi, Abe, Yusuke, Mano, Kazuo, Goto, Yoji, Oh-Iwa, Ichiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aspiration pneumonia; Relevant factors; Swallowing function assessment
• ISSN: 1348-8643; 1881-4204
• DOI: 10.1016/S1348-8643(13)00009-8

Studies have investigated factors related to aspiration pneumonia (AP) onset in stroke patients. However, no study has examined the influence of swallowing function assessment-based strategies. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors related to the onset of AP that differ before and after swallowing function assessment. Subjects consisted of 143 patients admitted to acute-stage hospitals within 7 days of stroke onset. We examined the association between AP onset within 1 year after stroke and several parameters. AP incidence was 24.5% overall, 20.3% before swallowing function assessment, and 7.7% after assessment. In patients who developed AP prior to swallowing function assessment, the onset was associated with male gender [odds ratio (OR): 6.206, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.871–28.937], dysarthria (OR: 5.683, CI: 1.432–38.713), and denture usage (OR: 2.843, CI: 1.011–8.048). In those who developed AP after swallowing function assessment, AP was associated with cerebral atrophy (OR: 4.225, CI: 1.071–16.705), infracted foci in the basal ganglia (OR: 8.914, CI: 1.489–77.776), and Barthel Index (BI)