Sarcopenia is an Independent Risk Factor for Dysphagia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Dysphagia is common in older adults and associated with increased socioeconomic burdens. Recently, sarcopenia is considered to be a possible contributor for dysphagia. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association of dysphagia with sarcopenia in a geriatric population in Korea. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA). Community-dwelling men and women aged 65 years and older without common causes of dysphagia in Seongnam City, Korea were included (N = 236). Dysphagia was screened using Standardized Swallowing Assessment. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass was calculated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Grip strength and long-distance corridor walk were assessed. Of 236 subjects, 54 (22.9%) showed dysphagia and 38 (16.1%) showed sarcopenia. Fourteen (5.9%) participants were diagnosed with sarcopenic dysphagia. In multiple logistic regression analysis for dysphagia, sarcopenia was the only significant variable with odds ratio of 2.738 (95% confidence interval 1.160-6.466). Sarcopenia was associated with increased risk of dysphagia in community-dwelling older adults having no common causes of dysphagia even after adjusting for possible confounders. A prospective study with a larger sample size is needed to reveal their causal relationship in the future.