Ehlers-Danlos syndromes and dysphagia: suspicion of swalloving disorders
Keywords:
swallowing, disorders, screening, speech and language therapy, Ehlers Danlos syndromeAbstract
People with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) present numerous clinical manifestations characterized by great interindividual variability: joint hypermobility, skin fragility, joint and muscular pain, asthenia, upper gastrointestinal manifestations, postural and proprioception disorders...
Few studies mention swallowing disorders in EDS while there are many signs that they may be highly frequent.
The goal of this study is to highlight, on a large scale, possible swallowing complaints in patients with EDS without benefiting from a speech therapy prescription.
A survey using a self-assessment questionnaire was conducted on 249 people diagnosed with EDS, all forms combined. They were compared to 250 control participants.
The results showed that EDS participants had more signs suggestive of swallowing disorders than the control sample. 90% of EDS participants suspected of dysphagia had never received a medical prescription for speech therapy assessment and therapy.
It therefore seems essential to inform doctors and nursing staff about the potential presence of swallowing disorders in patients with EDS and the usefulness of prescribing a speech-language pathology swallowing assessment in order to carry out and more investigate these polymorphic disorders.
