Examination of factors associated with aspiration pneumonia following stroke

BackgroundStudies have investigated factors related to aspiration pneumonia (AP) onset in stroke patients. However, no study has examined the influence of swallowing function assessment-based strategies.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate factors related to the onset of AP that differ before and after swallowing function assessment.Methods and subjectsSubjects consisted of 143 patients admitted to acute-stage hospitals within 7 days of stroke onset. We examined the association between AP onset within 1 year after stroke and several parameters.ResultsAP incidence was 24.5% overall, 20.3% before swallowing function assessment, and 7.7% after assessment. In patients who developed AP prior to swallowing function assessment, the onset was associated with male gender [odds ratio (OR): 6.206, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.871–28.937], dysarthria (OR: 5.683, CI: 1.432–38.713), and denture usage (OR: 2.843, CI: 1.011–8.048). In those who developed AP after swallowing function assessment, AP was associated with cerebral atrophy (OR: 4.225, CI: 1.071–16.705), infracted foci in the basal ganglia (OR: 8.914, CI: 1.489–77.776), and Barthel Index (BI) <100 points before admission (OR: 5.404, CI: 1.418–21.482).ConclusionsOnset of AP after stroke was associated with gender, dysarthria, denture usage at before swallowing function assessment and cerebral atrophy, infarcted foci in the basal ganglia, and BI before admission at after swallowing function assessment. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that factors related to AP differ before and after swallowing function assessment to identify patients at high risk of developing AP after stroke.