Stroke and problems with food inhalation

Location: Health Care of Older People, William Harvey Hospital, Ashford in conjunction with the Department of Medicine, Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine, London.
Amount: £131,070
Status: Research completed
Start Date: 5th August 2002
Finish Date: 4th August 2006
Grantholder: Dr David G Smithard, MD, FRCP and Professor Lalit Kalra, PhD, FRCP
Research worker: Dr D J C Ramsey

Stroke is the third commonest cause of death and the leading cause of severe disability in the community. About half of all patients following an acute stroke have difficulty swallowing and in some cases food is "inhaled" into the lungs. We know that patients with swallowing problems suffer an increased risk of chest infection, poor nutrition and a longer stay in hospital. But in some patients, food and liquid are going down into their lungs despite an apparently normal swallow — a process called silent aspiration. The aim of this research is to determine how common it is to inhale food silently after stroke, and whether it affects patient recovery.

Professor Kalra and Dr Debbie Ramsey

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