Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2006 Jun;82(968):383-91.
doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2005.043281.

Dysphagia in stroke patients

S Singh  1 , S Hamdy
Affiliations
Review

Dysphagia in stroke patients

S Singh et al. Postgrad Med J. 2006 Jun.

Abstract

Swallowing musculature is asymmetrically represented in both motor cortices. Stroke affecting the hemisphere with the dominant swallowing projection results in dysphagia and clinical recovery has been correlated with compensatory changes in the previously non-dominant, unaffected hemisphere. This asymmetric bilaterality may explain why up to half of stroke patients are dysphagic and why many will regain a safe swallow over a comparatively short period. Despite this propensity for recovery, dysphagia carries a sevenfold increased risk of aspiration pneumonia and is an independent predictor of mortality. The identification, clinical course, pathophysiology, and treatment of dysphagia after stroke are discussed in this review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: SS is a clinical research fellow employed by Manchester University through grants from The Health Foundation and the Medical Research Council. SH is a lecturer at Manchester University and honorary consultant Gastroenterologist at Hope Hospital, Salford. Neither author has any competing interests to declare.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Daniels S K, Ballo L A, Mahoney M C.et al Clinical predictors of dysphagia and aspiration risk: outcome measures in acute stroke patients. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2000811030–1033. - PubMed
    1. Daniels S K, Brailey K, Priestly D H.et al Aspiration in patients with acute stroke. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 19987914–19. - PubMed
    1. Johnson E R, McKenzie S W, Sievers A. Aspiration pneumonia in stroke. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 199374973–976. - PubMed
    1. Kidd D, Lawson J, Nesbitt R.et al Aspiration in acute stroke: a clinical study with videofluoroscopy. Q J Med 199386825–829. - PubMed
    1. Gordon C, Hewer R L, Wade D T. Dysphagia in acute stroke. BMJ (Clin Res Ed) 1987295411–414. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms