Initial National Institute of Health Stroke Scale to Early Predict the Improvement of Swallowing in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Objectives: To study the applicability of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) in early predicting the prognosis of poststroke dysphagia in an acute ward. Methods: This is an observational retrospective cohort study including adult patients with ischemic stroke. Patients with various factors affecting swallowing were excluded to obtain a representative sample of 165 patients. The main outcome measure was the improvements of oral intake function. Results: The scores of facial palsy (NIHSS item 4) (odds ratio [OR]: 0.484, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.279-0.838, P = .0096] and language/aphasia (NIHSS item 9) (OR: 0.562, 95% CI: 0.321-0.982, P = .0430) demonstrated significantly negative effects on the early improvement of dysphagia.
Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research