Calf circumference is associated with dysphagia in acute-care inpatients

The aim of the study was to determine the association between decreased muscle mass and dysphagia in older acute-care patients. A cross-sectional study was performed on 103 patients aged ≥65 years who were consecutively admitted to acute-care wards. Muscle mass and strength were evaluated by assessing calf circumference (CC) and handgrip strength, respectively. Dysphagia and swallowing difficulty were assessed using the Dysphagia Severity Scale (DSS). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine whether CC was associated with dysphagia. There were 58 women and 45 men (mean age, 80 ± 8 years) with a mean CC of 28.2 ± 4.4 cm, and a mean HG of 11.8 kg. Dysphagia was observed in eight patients (8%). Based on the multivariate analysis, CC was independently associated with DSS after adjusting for possible confounders. Future studies to evaluate dysphagia in acute-care older patients with low skeletal muscle mass (i.e., sarcopenia) are required.