Abstract
In order to define the influence of age on pharyngeal swallowing, swallows of a liquid bolus and a solid one were examined in two groups: 61 subjects 60-89 years of age and 27 subjects 19-59 years of age. Pathologic conditions occurring with greater frequency in the elderly were as follows: premature swallow in the oral stage, laryngeal penetration in the pharyngeal stage, limited movements of the epiglottis, accumulation of a bolus in the val lecula, and piecemeal deglutition in the pharyngeal stage. These results suggest that reduced swallowing reflex and reduced peristalsis often occur with the increase of age although the individual variability increases with age, and that subjects with those findings has the risk of aspirating a bolus.
