Evaluation of voice and swallowing functions in sarcopenic patients

Sarcopenia is characterized by generalised progressive loss of muscle mass and muscle strength. It is defined as a syndrome associated with endpoints such as physical disability, poor quality of life, and death. Sarcopenia leads to a decrease in physical performance and may cause problems with swallowing and voice function due to general skeletal muscle loss. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the changes in voice and swallowing functions in sarcopenic patients. Individuals aged 65 and over were included in the study. The SARC-F scale was applied to the patients to determine the diagnosis of sarcopenia, and if the scale score was >4, they were evaluated for sarcopenia. In the further evaluation, "hand grip strength measurement" was performed to evaluate the muscle strength of the patients. Patients with low scores in the tests were evaluated in the sarcopenia study group, and patients with normal scores were evaluated in the control group. Functional endoscopic swallowing evaluation and the EAT-10 scale was applied to all individuals. In order to evaluate voice functions, glottal closure pattern was evaluated through endoscopic laryngeal examinations and acoustic voice analysis was performed on voice recordings. In addition, voice-related quality of life scale scores were recorded and compared between the two groups. The study sample consisted of 40 individuals. Twenty of the patients were in the study group and 20 were in the control group. No significant difference in age or gender was observed between the two groups. The mean EAT-10 scale scores in the study group were 2.55 ± 3.64. In the control group, this score was 1.5 ± 2.3 (p<0.05). FEES findings were evaluated using PAS scoring, PAS scores were lower in the control group. The mean F0 values in the sarcopenic patient group were calculated as 163.1 ± 42.9 Hz. In the control group, this value was 174.5 ± 43.1 Hz (p>0.05). The mean HNR in the study group was 12.63 ± 4.5 dB; it was 13.2 ± 4.9 dB in the control group (p>0.05). In sarcopenic patients, mean jitter (%) was 2.14 ± 2, shimmer (%) was 4.2 ± 3.85; In the control group, jitter (%) was 1.8 ± 2.13, and shimmer (%) was 3.67 ± 3.9 (p>0.05). Maximum phonation times were 8.3 ± 2 seconds in the sarcopenia group; in the control group it was 9.8 ± 2.1 sec. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). VRQOL scores were lower in the sarcopenia group than in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Sarcopenia was associated with poor swallowing functions. Sarcopenia's negative effects on voice quality have been observed over voice quality, but the available data is currently insufficient to establish a direct relationship. Defining the effects of sarcopenia on swallowing and voice will guide the prevention of complications and early initiation of rehabilitation processes. Key Words: Dysphagia, Dysphonia, Sarcopenia