United States: Insomnia, along with vertigo, serve as health conditions that inspired the names of popular films.
A new study reveals dysphagia affects people more frequently than either vertigo or insomnia, although Americans are aware of these conditions in only one-quarter of cases, as reported by HealthDay.
The Hidden Impact of Dysphagia
People experience swallowing difficulty because of nerve, muscle, or structural problems in the mouth, throat, and esophagus, based on the American College of Gastroenterology.
Experts pointed to dysphagia as the source of both nutritional deficiency and pneumonia development.
“When someone has dysphagia, food, and liquid can go into the lungs and cause pneumonia — which in some cases can be fatal,” said lead researcher Sonja Molfenter, an associate professor of communicative sciences and disorders at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in New York City.
The statistics from Molfenter show that swallowing problems affect 7% of the population, yet older citizens aged over 65 experience even higher rates of swallowing difficulties, according to a news release.
Research indicated that dysphagia knowledge remains limited among the general public, although scientists expected widespread awareness.
Study Findings: Low Public Awareness
Researchers conducted surveys with 2,000 participants to determine their understanding of insomnia, vertigo, dysphagia, and ataxia.
The study results indicated the public’s knowledge was limited since dysphagia recognition reached only 25%, but insomnia awareness stood at 99% and vertigo understanding at 87%. Only 18% knew about ataxia.
Research shows that 44% of participants accurately defined dysphagia disabilities, yet 99% recognized insomnia, 94% recognized vertigo symptoms, and 22% recognized ataxia.
A small 4% of respondents demonstrated the ability to link dysphagia to the health problems of malnutrition and pneumonia along with reduced quality of life.
“This study confirms that there is a gap in public awareness for dysphagia, as opposed to conditions like insomnia or vertigo,” Molfenter said.
Who is Affected?
A large database with over 296 million patient records served as the research foundation. The study revealed dysphagia appeared in 2.4% of records, whereas vertigo only had less than 0.7% of instances. More patients exhibited insomnia, which occurred in 6% of treatment cases, as reported by HealthDay.
“It is our hope that this survey data can help our team and others focus efforts on advocacy and awareness to support early intervention, improved infrastructure, increased research funding, and more equitable healthcare access,” Molfenter added.