Chief Complaints of Swallowing Problems in Korean Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Objectives: Normal older persons often experience presbyphagia due to aging. This study utilized the 18-item self-reported questionnaire of the Swallowing Monitoring & Assessment Protocol (SMAP) to identify swallowing difficulties that might appear during natural aging. Methods: After excluding those with neurological disorders, dysphagia-related disorders, and/or cognitive problems, a total of 822 healthy older adults aged 65 or older (mean age=76.88±5.60; men:women = 277:545) were surveyed by the self-reported swallowing function questionnaire of the SMAP. The total score of the 18-item questionnaire (5-point Likert scale: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) was extracted and the ranking was determined based on the mean score of each item. Ranking among two age groups (aged 65–74 and aged 75 ≤) was compared with a Spearman rank correlation, and the difference in total scores by age group was examined with the Mann-Whitney test. Results: The mean total score was 7.81 ± 7.63 (range 0–58). Swallowing problems related to ‘dry mouth’, ‘meal volume’, ‘mealtime’, and ‘choking on water or liquid’ were regarded as chief complaints. There was a significant correlation between the ranking of questions by age group. The mean total score was significantly higher for groups aged 75 or older (n = 494; mean age=80.46±3.98) than those aged 65 to 74 (n = 328; mean age=71.49± 2.51) p < .01). Conclusion: The chief complaints for swallowing reported by older adults can be considered as main swallowing problems caused by aging. By identifying precise swallowing difficulties that appear during normal aging, we should be able to alleviate presbyphagia via early detection and intervention.