Quality of life in stroke patients with dysphagia: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Dysphagia is a common disorder among stroke patients. Dysphagia can lead to consequences that can negatively impact the quality of life (QoL) in stroke patients.

AIM: To investigate the impact of dysphagia on the QoL in stroke patients.

METHODS: Relevant types of literature were searched from PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases from inception to July 2022. Peerreviewed studies that aimed to determine the impact of dysphagia on the QoL in stroke patients were included regardless of the year of publication. The National Institutes of Health tool for observational cohort and cross-sectional studies was used to assess the methodological quality of the selected studies. In addition, data analysis was conducted using qualitative methodology with narrative synthesis.

RESULTS: A total of 6 studies met the inclusion criteria with a total number of 381 participants. Only one study has good methodological quality while other studies have fair methodological quality. Dysphagia negatively impacts the QoL in stroke patients, especially those with severe dysphagia. However, after treatment, changes were evident through improved QoL and decreased severity of dysphagia. Moreover, the research found that patients with a higher educational level have a better QoL.

CONCLUSION: Dysphagia has a negative impact on the QoL in stroke patients, so dysphagia in stroke patients should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible to avoid poor QoL.