Association between dysphagia and tongue strength in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

INTRODUCTION: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is the most common motor neuron disease in adults despite it being rare. It is a neurodegenerative disease in which dysphagia is a common and debilitating symptom. Dysphagia can be assessed by complementary exams, such as fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and the tongue strength test, as this is one of the main muscles involved in swallowing. OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of tongue strength and endurance measured by the Iowa oral performance instrument with the findings of the fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing examination in patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, carried out in a tertiary hospital specialized in treatment and rehabilitation. Twenty-five patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis underwent dysphagia questionnaires, fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing examination and tongue strength and resistance test with the Iowa oral performance instrument to assess the presence of dysphagia. RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of the sample had dysphagia at the fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and 76% had an altered tongue strength test. Ninety percent of patients with dysphagia had an average tongue pressure lower than 34.2 KPa. The tongue strength test showed sensitivity of 91.67% and specificity of 38.46% and accuracy of 64%. There was a statistically significant relationship between tongue strength and dysphagia and between tongue resistance and dysphagia. CONCLUSION: Tongue strength tests, such as the Iowa oral performance instrument, proved to be effective in assessing dysphagia. This result should encourage further research to facilitate the early diagnosis of dysphagia.