A study found distinct swallowing differences in people with ALS after accounting for age
Original source
How Do Quantitative Videofluoroscopy Measures Differ Between People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Age-Matched Healthy Adults? (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
A retrospective study compared swallowing videos from 19 people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with data from age- and sex-matched healthy adults. The ALS group more often needed multiple swallows per mouthful, had incomplete closure at the entrance to the airway, and had slower hyoid movement. Similar patterns of throat constriction and leftover material after swallowing in both groups suggest that aging may contribute to some findings previously linked to ALS.
Why this matters
The findings may help clinicians interpret videofluoroscopic swallowing studies in people with ALS, particularly when assessing which changes may reflect the disease and which may also occur with aging. This study does not change treatment recommendations or show that any intervention improves swallowing. Longer-term studies are needed to track how ALS and aging each affect swallowing over time.
Limitations and context
This was a retrospective analysis involving 19 people with ALS. The comparison used data from a healthy-adult cohort rather than a newly recruited control group, and the study assessed swallowing at one point in time. The authors recommend longitudinal research to separate disease-related and age-related changes more clearly.