BACKGROUND: oropharyngeal dysphagia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. PURPOSE: patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can be vulnerable to respiratory incompetence that may lead to swallowing impairment. A systematic review was conducted to investigate the relationship between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and oropharyngeal dysphagia. Forty-seven articles were retrieved relating to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and dysphagia. Each article was graded using evidence-based methodology. Only 7 articles out of the 47 addressed oropharyngeal swallowing disorders in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. This review found few studies that documented the relationship between oropharyngeal swallowing disorders and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. There were no randomized control trials. CONCLUSION: although the evidence is not strong, it appears that patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease are prone to oropharyngeal dysphagia during exacerbations. Future studies are needed to document the prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia in homogeneous groups of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and to assess the relationship between respiration and swallowing using simultaneous measures of swallowing biomechanics and respiratory function. These investigations will lead to a better understanding of the characteristics and risk factors of developing oropharyngeal dypshagia in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Deglutition Disorders; Review
