Abstract: ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence and risk factors of dysphagia in acute stroke patients, and its influence on prognosis.Methods115 patients with acute stroke received Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA) within the first 24 hours after admission to find out whether they had dysphagia. During period being in hospital, the patients received CT scans or MRI examinations to diagnose the sites of lesions in brain. The risk factors related to dysphagia and prognosis were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression with modified Rankin scale (MRS) scores at 3 months and 6 months as prognosis criterion.ResultsThe incidence of post-stroke dysphagia was 62.6%, and there was no significant difference among different brain lesion sites (P=0.212). The NIHSS score was the independent risk factor of post-stroke dysphagia (OR=5.841,95% CI:1.562～21.837), and post-stroke dysphagia was the independent risk factor of poor outcome at 3 months (OR=5.570,95% CI:1.052～29.496) in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. But dysphagia was not correlated significantly with poor outcome at 6 months in multivariate logistic regression analysis.ConclusionDysphagia is a common problem in acute stroke patients and an independent predictor for prognosis at 3 months. NIHSS score is an independent risk factor of post-stroke dysphagia.

Key words: dysphagia, stroke, prognosis, risk factor