Relationship between skeletal muscle mass change and swallowing function improvement among stroke patients with dysphagia during rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between changes in skeletal muscle mass and improvements in swallowing function in stroke patients with dysphagia during rehabilitation.

METHODS

The study included 145 patients with a stroke or dysphagia. The two groups were divided into two groups: those with improved skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) at discharge and those without. Clinical data, including SMI, and Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA), were collected from the database.

RESULTS

The increase in MASA was significantly higher in the group with increased SMI than in the group with no increase in SMI. In the multivariate analysis, the duration of rehabilitation and the group with increased SMI were associated with increased MASA.

CONCLUSION

SMI gain and the duration of rehabilitation per day were associated with improved swallowing function in patients with stroke.