Abstract
[Purpose] In this study, we measured the peak expiratory flow (PEF) as an index of the cough intensity of stroke patients both with and without dysphagia and compared it with non-stroke subjects to evaluate factors associated with cough intensity. [Subjects] The subjects were 46 stroke patients who had developed stroke within the past six months and 24 non-stroke control. [Methods] Stroke patients were divided into two groups: a dysphagia group comprising 22 patients with dysphagia, and 24 patients without dysphagia. An electronic peak-flow meter was used to measure the PEF. We examined the following factors associated with cough intensity: age, body height, body weight, body mass index(BMI), Brunnstrom Recovery Stage, Barthel index, serum albumin level, and dysphagia grade. [Results] PEF declined in value in order of the control group, patients without dysphagia, and patients with dysphagia. The body weight, BMI, PEF, serum albumin, and Barthel index of the dysphagia group were significantly lower those of the control group. The PEF of the stroke patients was used as an objective variable and the following factors were analyzed using stepwise multiple regression equation: serum albumin level, body height, and dysphagia grade. [Conclusion] The results suggest that the cough intensity of stroke patients is lower than that of non-stroke subjects, an observation that may be associated with the malnutrition due to dysphagia.
