The relationship between inappropriate food form and incidence of aspiration pneumonia in the elderly who require nursing care.

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25862074
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Social dentistry
• Research Institution: Tokyo Medical and Dental University
• Principal Investigator: Nakane Ayako 東京医科歯科大学, 医歯(薬)学総合研究科, 助教 (30431943)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 嚥下障害 / 要介護高齢者 / 介護保険施設

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Eighteen patients (39.1%) out of 46 elderly who require nursing care showed a discrepancy between types of food form and their swallowing function.Appropriate texture-modified foods were recommended.Of these 8 patients (44.4%) has changed the food form. The reasons not to change their food form were mostly rejection by the patients (40.0%), loss of appetite, rejection by the patient’s family and difficulties in preparing appropriate texture-modified foods (20.0% each).In addition, nine out of 46 patients (19.6%) received a diagnosis of pneumonia during the follow-up investigation.VE results suggested that there were no significant relations among food aspiration, saliva aspiration and development of pneumonia.
There may be the other important factors in addition to aspiration of food.

Free Research Field

摂食嚥下リハビリテーション