Nutritional plan among cancer patients with dysphagia:

Abstract

Author(s): Ruaa Sabah Jubair, Haider Alalawy, Waleed Ibraheem Ali

Background: Dysphagia is defined as difficulty swallowing or inability
to swallow. The complications of dysphagia include malnutrition,
dehydration, chocking, aspiration pneumonia, low self-esteem,
embarrassment, limited social activity, depression, anxiety, loneliness,
loss of taste/ smell and death. Objectives: to assess role of nutritional
plan and advices on dysphagia outcome. Materials and Methods: An
interventional prospective cohort study had been done during the
period from May 16 2023 to September 1 2023 at Ghazi Al-Hariri
Hospital Surgical Specialties in the department of oral and
maxillofacial surgery, Medical City. Baghdad, Iraq. The study consists
of 100 patients with oral cancer suffering from dysphagia ( 50 with mild
dysphagia and 50 with moderate dysphagia), nutritional assessment
was done concentrating on body mass index( BMI), waist
circumference(WC), % weight loss, and % usual body weight( %UBW)
for interpreting weight changes and presence of cachexia. Biochemical
analysis for Hb, blood electrolytes , protein , albumin , lipid profile, and
Hba1c. Nutritional plan regarding high calorie high protein diet and
advices were given for them regarding proper positioning , time of
meal and modify the texture of foods and/ or viscosity of liquids to
encourage patient to meet adequate nutrition and hydration while
elimination the risk of aspiration. After 6 weeks from nutritional plan
and advices we were reassessed our participants for BMI, waist
circumference, protein energy malnutrition by % weight loss, degree of
malnutrition by % UBW , cachexia and biochemical analysis.
Results: the results showed that nutritional plan positively associated
with improvement in malnutrition and cachexia , normalization of
serum calcium, total serum protein, albumin, lipid profile, Hba1c and
hemoglobin. Conclusions: Nutritional plan for cancer patients
associated with improvement in malnutrition and cachexia, and even
improvement of biochemical analysis, better control of diabetes and
reduction of anemia.

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