Self-assessment of risk of dysphagia and clinical-functional vulnerability in older adults with a history of leprosy.

PURPOSE: To relate self-assessed dysphagia risk to clinical-functional vulnerability, age, sex, dentition, education, and institutionalization of older adults with a history of leprosy, and to assess the swallowing quality of life of those at risk.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study with 117 older people. The inclusion criteria were being 60 years or older, with a history of leprosy, and no history of mental disorders, cognitive impairment due to stroke, or dementia syndrome. The study obtained information such as sex, age, education, institutionalization, and dentition, and used the following protocols: Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index (IVCF-20), Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), and Quality of Life in Swallowing Disorders (SWAL-QOL). The association between self-assessed dysphagia risk in older adults, a history of leprosy, and the other variables was verified with Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, with a 5% significance level.

RESULTS

There was a predominance of non-institutionalized older women aged 80 to 99 years, with incomplete elementary education, using dentures. According to self-assessment, 22 older adults (18.8%) were at risk of dysphagia, and the most compromised quality of life domain was "eating duration." The risk of dysphagia was statistically associated with age and clinical-functional vulnerability.

CONCLUSION

Being over 80 years old and being considered frail increases the chance of older people with a history of leprosy having a self-assessed risk of dysphagia. The greatest impairment in the quality of life was related to "eating duration".