Bilbao, April 10, 2023.
220 members of the Parkinson Bizkaia Association (Asparbi) have selflessly participated in this study on dysphagia together with the association’s team of professionals and with the collaboration of the Neurology, Ear, Nose and Throat and Biostatistics services of the Basurto University Hospital (Bilbao)
Many people with Parkinson’s disease develop difficulty in swallowing or swallowing food, whether solid or liquid, due to impairment of one or more phases of swallowing, when chewing, or when coordinating the movements of the tongue to place the food in place. the correct position for swallowing. Dysphagia is a common problem in Parkinson’s disease (PD) that affects up to 50% of patients with the disease. Choking caused by dysphagia is the main cause of death in Parkinson’s patients. Aware of the need to consider the presence of dysphagia because it is a fatal risk factor that can be prevented with an exhaustive speech therapy intervention, the Parkinson Bizkaia Association, in collaboration with the Hospital de Basurto in Bilbao, it has promoted the study on dysphagia and Parkinson’s with the largest number of patients observed that has been carried out to date worldwide. The selfless collaboration of 220 members of the association is allowing Asparbi’s team of professionals to collect a large amount of data for research, which has been titled ‘Prospective study of the natural history and characteristics of dysphagia in Parkinson’s disease’ has already received the approval of the Euskadi Drug Research Ethics Committee (CEIm-E). How the study of dysphagia in patients with Parkinson’s was carried out In a first phase that lasted six months, the nurses and Asparbi’s speech therapists have tested the swallowing difficulties of more than two hundred members of the Association. Likewise, the physiotherapist of the entity, through the Kinovea program and photographs taken of each member, has analyzed the posture they adopt at mealtime, measuring the flexions of the neck and trunk and comparing the postural reference parameters in this disorder. The work of nurses consists of carrying out a medical examination or Anamnesis analyzing their personal and family medical history to know and understand their ailments and determine relevant family, environmental and personal factors that may affect the patient. At the same time, the speech therapists carry out a prior dysphagia screening using the Eating Assessment Tool -10 (EAT-10) questionnaire and the volume-viscosity clinical examination method test (MEC V-V) where safety is assessed (cough, change in voice, desaturation, etc.) and bone efficacy (labor seal, oral residue, throat clearing, etc.). All this together with the work of the psychology students who are doing their university master’s internships at Asparbi and the Association’s psychologist, who have carried out the cognitive assessment test or MOCA on all the participants. In the cases in which the speech therapists of Asparbi detect problems of bone safety or efficacy and the screening is positive, the patients are referred to the Otorhinolaryngology consultation of Dr. Arantza Ibargutxi of the Basurto Hospital, where, among other things, they are performed the videoendoscopy instrumental examination swallowing and analyzes the degree of difficulty in swallowing and the treatment or interventions that the patient will need. If, at this stage, the exploration is positive again, the doctor prepares a report with the alterations that she has detected in order to establish a personalized treatment, a speech therapy rehabilitation program and a follow-up plan to study the evolution of the dysphagia. Finally, already in The Neurology department of this hospital is working to include in the clinical history of each patient the degree of oropharyngeal dysphagia they suffer from, a symptom that until now was not considered with such rigor. The first conclusion that has already been drawn from this study is that speech therapy therapy in Parkinson’s patients not only manages to improve the symptoms of dysphagia but could also prevent those affected from developing this disorder. Tomorrow, April 11, on the occasion of World Parkinson’s Day, “We will be able to celebrate that 37 Asparbi partners have already passed through the otolaryngology unit of the Basurto Hospital and it is expected that this innovative study will show very revealing conclusions in 2023.” Asparbi will present this research at the BBK Room in Bilbao on April 19 at 5:30 p.m. Admission will be free and free until full capacity.
Contact Contact name: Parkinson Bizkaia Association Contact description: Parkinson Bizkaia Association Contact telephone number: 94 448 32 70
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