Dysphagia assessment in patients with multiple sclerosis – an additional piece to disability burden

Objective People with multiple sclerosis (MS) might experience symptoms that are usually underestimated. Dysphagia should be evaluated within the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), but clinicians often do not assess it properly. The objectives of this study are as follows: To assess the prevalence of dysphagia in patients with MS utilizing the Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire (SDQ); to examine the correlation with the EDSS; to investigate the relationship between dysphagia and clinico-demographic characteristics of MS. Methods In total, 177 MS patients underwent evaluations with EDSS, SDQ, cognitive functions, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleep quality tests. We compared clinico-demographic data of patients with and without dysphagia and native-EDSS to SDQ-EDSS. Results Out of the 177 MS patients, 56% of individuals were identified having dysphagia according to the SDQ with 41 patients exhibiting mild dysphagia, 31 showing moderate dysphagia and 27 patients having severe dysphagia. Only 6 patients had dysphagia recorded in the EDSS. SDQ-EDSS scores were significantly higher than native scores. Dysphagia was associated with depressive symptoms and sleep quality. Interpretation Dysphagia affects up to 56% of MS patients. The SDQ questionnaire is useful for identifying dysphagia, which can help in capturing disease progression and preventing complications like aspiration pneumonia. The SDQ-EDSS was higher than the native-EDSS, reflecting the poor ability of the native-EDSS to evaluate certain symptoms such as dysphagia. The SDQ correlated with depressive symptoms, which are associated with a greater perception of MS symptoms, and poor sleep quality, which could be associated with the triggering of pathogenic mechanisms responsible for disease progression.