2015 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 11-16
The presence of aspiration on videoendoscopic evaluation of swallowing (VE) and videofluoroscopy does not necessarily correspond to the presence of fever or the onset of pneumonia during the patient's course, and these factors often do not match. We use C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of the inflammatory response within the body, as an indicator for assessing a patient’s course following testing. The relationships between the presence of aspiration and CRP, as well as fever during the course, were investigated using simplified CRP, which can be measured from a minute amount of blood.
The subjects comprised 68 patients aged ≥65 years. The presence or absence of aspiration was assessed using VE. CRP was measured on the same day, and levels lower than 0.3 mg/dl were taken to be a negative result. In addition, the presence of fever within 3 months following the test was assessed, and the VE results, CRP status, and presence of fever during the course were compared.
Comparison of the VE results and CRP status showed that a positive CRP result was obtained in 5 of 19 patients with no aspiration, 11 of 22 patients with overt aspiration, and 14 of 27 patients with silent aspiration, with no significant differences in CRP positivity among the three groups. Regarding the comparison of the VE results and the presence of fever, fever was observed in 8 of 19 patients with no aspiration, 9 of 22 patients with overt aspiration, and 13 of 27 patients with silent aspiration, with no significant differences in the presence of fever among the three groups. As for the comparison of CRP and the presence of fever, fever was observed in 10 of 38 CRP-negative patients and 20 of 30 CRP-positive patients, with a significant difference between the two groups.
There was a mismatch between the presence of aspiration on the test and the presence of fever during the course and CRP status, suggesting that aspiration on the test may not be directly linked to the body's inflammatory response or fever during the course.
