Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and the Brazilian version of the Eating Assessment Tool-10 in resistant hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnea

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of OD through Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) and the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) in hypertensive patients with OSA, as well as to describe the sensitivity of EAT-10 for the detection of OD in this population. METHODS: This study included a convenience sample in which 85 resistant hypertensive patients diagnosed with OSA in an university hospital participated. Participants were subjected to the EAT-10 (index test) and FEES (reference standard). RESULTS: The median EAT-10 score was 2 (0–5.5). According to the FEES, 27 participants did not have dysphagia, 42 had mild dysphagia and 16 had mild to moderate dysphagia. The sensitivity of the EAT-10 was 70.7% (95% CI: 57.3–81.9) at a cutoff score ≥1, with a discriminatory power of 67.4% (p = 0.005). The most prevalent symptom in this population was “food stuck in the throat”, while the most prevalent signs were delayed initiation of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing, premature bolus spillage and pharyngeal residue. CONCLUSION: In our study, the cutoff score for the EAT-10 for screening for OD in this population was ≥ 1. In conclusion, this population presented a high prevalence of dysphagia detected in FEES and its severity is associated with higher EAT-10 scores.