Work

Profiling Swallowing Safety and Physiology in People With Huntington's Disease

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Dysphagia is prevalent in individuals with Huntington's disease (HD), yet the underlying mechanisms of dysphagia remain unknown. We profiled swallowing safety and physiology in individuals with HD using the validated Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) and the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP). METHODS: This retrospective study included 40 adults with HD who underwent videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS) between 2018 and 2024 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Trained raters extracted demographics, disease characteristics (duration, United Huntington Disease Rating Scale [UHDRS] Motor Component Total scores, cytosine, adenine, guanine [CAG] repeats), and worst PAS scores from Epic. Two MBSImP-certified clinicians performed duplicate, independent, blinded ratings to obtain overall impairment and severity ratings. Inter- and intra-rater reliability, descriptive statistics, and Spearman's Rho correlations were performed. KEY RESULTS: = 0.382, p = 0.020) were noted. 85% of MBSImP oral phase scores and 97.5% of pharyngeal phase scores had none-to-mild severity, while 15% and 2.5%, respectively, showed moderate severity. No significant correlations were observed between MBSImP scores, demographics, or disease characteristics. CONCLUSION & INFERENCES: Individuals with HD exhibited greater impairments in swallowing efficiency than in safety, with the oral phase more affected than the pharyngeal. Relationships between swallowing safety and disease severity characteristics in HD suggest these metrics may serve as indicators of swallowing safety impairments, and that further assessment is warranted.

Source: Neurogastroenterology & Motility

DOI: 10.1111/nmo.70035

Authors: Claudia Raines, Makenna Clark, Cara Donohue

Institutions: Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Language: English

Topic: Dysphagia Assessment and Management

Subfield: Speech and Hearing

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,640