Exploring the Associations Between Dysphagia and Health-Related Outcomes in Older Adults: Results from the ilSirente Study

Objectives: The present study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between dysphagia and a variety of health-related parameters, including physical performance, cognitive function, malnutrition, sarcopenia, disability, frailty, falls, hospitalization, and mortality in a cohort of octogenarians living in the mountainous Sirente region of Central Italy. Methods: Dysphagia was operationalized as the need to modify the diet to facilitate swallowing and/or the exclusive consumption of specific food consistencies due to swallowing difficulties. Physical performance, cognitive function, malnutrition, disability, falls, and hospitalizations were assessed via the Minimum Data Set for Home Care. Sarcopenia was defined as the coexistence of low muscle mass and dynapenia, while frailty was operationalized according to Fried’s phenotype. History of falls and incident falls, as well as disability, were tracked over two years, while survival status was followed for up to ten years. Results: Data of 362 older adults (men age: 85.9 ± 4.8; body mass index: 25.6 ± 4.53; women: 66.9%; multimorbidity: 21.5%; dysphagia: 6.6%) were analyzed. The results indicated that dysphagia was significantly and cross-sectionally associated with poor physical performance and reduced cognitive function. In contrast, no longitudinal associations were observed. Conclusions: Dysphagia appears to be linked to deficits in physical and cognitive domains, underscoring the value of comprehensive geriatric assessment and the development of multidomain intervention strategies.