Prognostic Value of Dysphagia for Activities of Daily Living Performance and Cognitive Level after Stroke

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between baseline dysphagia and the improvement of activities of daily living performance and cognitive level among inpatients after stroke. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing convalescent rehabilitation after stroke. Dysphagia was assessed using the Food Intake LEVEL Scale. Outcomes were the motor and cognitive scores of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at discharge. Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the association between dysphagia at admission and these outcomes. Results: There were 499 participants with a median age of 74 years. A multiple regression analysis was carried out after adjusting for potential confounders including age and sex. Dysphagia at admission was independently and negatively associated with motor (beta=-0.157, P<0.001) and cognitive (beta=-0.066, P=0.041) FIM scores at discharge. Conclusions: Baseline dysphagia in patients after stroke was negatively associated with improvement in performance of activities of daily living and cognitive level.