Dysphagic Symptoms in Patients with Chagas Disease, as Assessed by Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing

Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Florida, USA

Dysphagic Symptoms in Patients with Chagas Disease, as Assessed by Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing, Fred DiCarlo, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, Speech-Language Pathology, Barbara O'Connor Wells, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, Speech-Language Pathology, and David Ross,M.Sc., CCC-SLP, SLP.D. student, Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences, Speech-Language Pathology Objective: This study was conducted to examine and describe oral and pharyngeal dysphagic symptoms in adults residing in Brazil with a diagnosis of Chagas Disease (CD) using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing. Background: CD is a parasitic disease transmitted by an insect that can greatly impact a person’s swallowing and their ability to meet their daily nutrition and hydration needs. Methods: The purpose of this study is to provide objective descriptions of the oral and pharyngeal swallow anatomy and physiology, with a focus on the dysphagic symptoms of adults with swallowing disorders arising from CD infections in order to fill the void in the existing literature. The theoretical method used as a foundation for this study is the WHO's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health model. Conclusion: Data analyses presented will include descriptive statistics, measurement of central tendencies, and inter-rater reliability to analyze quantitative and qualitative data from swallowing and nutrition assessments used in the study. “Logistic Regression” will analyze if certain demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, length of time since diagnosis of CD) can predict swallowing symptoms and the severity of those symptoms. Our goal is to create a database of oral and pharyngeal symptoms that can be disseminated to communities impacted by CD. Grants: This study was partially funded by a grant from PCHCS/ACON