Relationship Between Oropharyngeal Dysphagia, Nutritional Status, Antioxidant Vitamins And The In Flammatory Response In Adults And Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background & aim: Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) can lead to a deficiency of antioxidant micronutrients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between OD and nutritional status, antioxidant vitamins (beta-carotene, vitamin E and C) and serum markers of the inflammatory response [C-reactive protein, myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1 beta and IL-6] in adults and elderly.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 69 individuals: 22 in the control group (CG) and 47 in the OD group (ODG). The ODG was subdivided into ODG-mild = normal oral feeding (OF, n = 14), ODG-moderate (OF-modified, n = 22) and ODG-severe (OF-suspended, n = 11). Associations were investigated using multiple linear regression.Results: The body mass index (BMI) was higher in the ODG compared to the CG (p = 0.008), independently of sex, age, energy intake (EI) and score on the Functional Independence Measure. BMI was significantly lower in the ODG-severe compared to the ODG-mild (p = 0.012). OD was associated with lower concentrations of beta-carotene (p < 0.001) and vitamin C (p < 0.001), independently of sex, age and EI, and higher concentrations of MPO (p = 0.008) and NOx (p = 0.011), independently of sex, age and the presence of comorbidities.Conclusion: Adults and elderly with OD have lower levels of antioxidant vitamins (beta-carotene and vitamin C) and a high inflammatory response (MPO and NOx). The evaluation of antioxidant vitamins could be incorporated in nutritional status assessment in this population. (c) 2020 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.