Abstract:
Objective To investigate the prevalence of frailty among patients with post-stroke dysphagia at one month after discharge and analyze its influencing factors.
Methods A convenience sample of 206 patients with post-stroke dysphagia admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University was enrolled. Relevant data at admission, discharge, and one month post-discharge were collected. The level of frailty and associated factors at one month post-discharge were assessed using univariate analysis and ordinal logistic regression analysis.
Results The prevalence of frailty among patients with post-stroke dysphagia at one month post-discharge was 78.2%, comprising 18.0% in pre-frailty and 60.2% in full frailty. High admission modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score (OR=1.842,
P = 0.004), high discharge Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) total score (OR=1.420,
P = 0.031), and high discharge frailty level (OR=6.218,
P < 0.001) were the risk factors for frailty at one month post-discharge in patients with post-stroke dysphagia. Absence of comorbidities (OR=0.177,
P = 0.002) and high body mass index (BMI, OR=0.377,
P = 0.001) were the protective factors.
Conclusions Patients with dysphagia after stroke exhibit a high incidence of frailty at one month post-discharge, influenced by multiple factors including admission mRS score, discharge NRS 2002 score, discharge frailty grade, comorbidities, and BMI, etc. Healthcare institutions are advised to establish multidisciplinary collaborative management systems for comprehensive intervention.