Clinical Outcomes Associated with Speech, Language and Swallowing Difficulties Post-Stroke – A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Due to a lack of prospective research in South Africa's Speech-Language Therapy (SLT) private healthcare sector, this prospective cohort study investigated associations between speech, language, and swallowing conditions (i.e. dysarthria, apraxia of speech, aphasia, dysphagia), risk factors, and outcomes post-stroke (i.e. length of hospital stay, degree of physical disability according to the Modified Rankin Scale [mRS], functional level of oral intake according to the Functional Oral Intake Scale [FOIS], dehydration, weight loss, aspiration pneumonia, mortality). Methods: Adults with a new incident of stroke without pre-existing speech, language or swallowing difficulties (N=68) were recruited. Convenience sampling was used to select participants. A prospective design was used to determine the incidence of speech, language, and swallowing conditions poststroke and association with outcomes from admission to discharge. Results: Co-occurring speech, language, and swallowing conditions frequently occurred post-stroke (88%). Participants who were referred to SLT greater than 24 hours post-admission (52.94%) stayed in hospital for a median of three days longer than those who were referred within 24 hours (p=.042). Dysphagia was significantly associated with moderate to severe physical disability. Dysphagia with aspiration was significantly associated with poor functional level of oral intake (i.e. altered consistency diets and enteral nutrition), at admission and at discharge (p<. 01). Dysphagia had a higher likelihood of mortality (OR=2.86) (p=.319). At discharge, aspiration pneumonia was significantly associated with severe physical disability (p< .01, r=0.70). Risk factors; poor oral hygiene (p=1.00), low level of consciousness (p=1.00), dependent for oral intake (p=.040), and enteral nutrition (p=.257); were not associated with aspiration pneumonia. Conclusion: In South Africa's private sector, cooccurring speech, language, and swallowing conditions commonly occurred post-stroke, and dysphagia ...