Relationships Between Swallowing Function, Sialorrhea, and Cervical Proprioception in Parkinson's Disease.

OBJECTIVE

In patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), alterations in position sense, swallowing function, and sialorrhea may occur. In neurological disorders, impairment of sensory input from the cervical region has been shown to adversely affect swallowing function. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between swallowing function, sialorrhea, and cervical position sense in patients with PD.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 55 patients with PD completed assessments of swallowing function using the Turkish version of the Eating Assessment Tool-10, sialorrhea using the Sialorrhea Clinical Scale for Parkinson's Disease, and position sense using a digital inclinometer. The relationships among these variables were evaluated using the Spearman correlation test.

RESULTS

A significant correlation was found between swallowing function and sialorrhea (p<0.05). However, no correlation was observed between cervical position sense and swallowing function or sialorrhea (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there was an association between swallowing function and sialorrhea. However, cervical position sense was not associated with these parameters. Future studies should consider these findings, and more comprehensive research including a control group and patients with advanced-stage PD is needed.