Swallowing of elderly without neurological disorders: case report

Purpose:  to find a pattern of deglutition in the elderly population who has no diagnostic of neurological pathology.

Methods:  a literature and Internet research was done from 1992 to 2001. After that we compared the results of the videofluoroscopy and clinical evaluation found in the published cases with the data found in the videofluoroscopy and clinical evaluation of a case study: a 82 years old woman, healthy, with no history or diagnostic of neurological pathology or swallowing difficulties.

Results:  assessment: reduced laryngeal elevation, alteration of the oral function with residue in the solid consistency; videofluoroscopy: laryngeal penetration and pharyngeal residue after swallowing.

Conclusion:  the elderly pattern of swallowing without neurological alterations present the following characteristics: reduced laryngeal elevation, laryngeal penetration and pharyngeal residue after swallowing. Besides that we observed that the elderly eat more snacks at dinner. They have poor mobility in tongue and lips during mastication and the oral functions were altered because of the use of dental prostheses.

Keywords:
Aged; Deglutition; Deglutition disorders; Pharynx; Feeding behavior; Fluoroscopy; Mastication; Case report