, Yasemin Ateş Sarı 2
, Süleyman Furkan Hangün 1
, Buse Birbir 1
, Osman Şenol Yıldız 3
, Seren Uc Boynueğri 4
, Yeşim Sücüllü Karadağ 5
2Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Türkiye
3Department of Therapy and Rehabilitation, Haymana Vocational School, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye
4Department of Therapy and Rehabilitation, Hatay Vocational School of Health Services, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Türkiye
5Department of Neurology, Ankara City Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Türkiye
Abstract
Objective: In patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), alterations in position sense, swallowing function, and sialorrhea may occur. In neurological disorders, impairment of sensory input from the cervical region has been shown to adversely affect swallowing function. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between swallowing function, sialorrhea, and cervical position sense in patients with PD.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 55 patients with PD completed assessments of swallowing function using the Turkish version of the Eating Assessment Tool-10, sialorrhea using the Sialorrhea Clinical Scale for Parkinson's Disease, and position sense using a digital inclinometer. The relationships among these variables were evaluated using the Spearman correlation test.
Results: A significant correlation was found between swallowing function and sialorrhea (p<0.05). However, no correlation was observed between cervical position sense and swallowing function or sialorrhea (p>0.05).
Conclusion: In conclusion, there was an association between swallowing function and sialorrhea. However, cervical position sense was not associated with these parameters. Future studies should consider these findings, and more comprehensive research including a control group and patients with advanced-stage PD is needed.