Table 1.

Independent predictors of post-stroke dysphagia across multiple studies

Older age [21–30]

Greater NIHSS [21, 23, 25, 27, 30–36]

Greater mRS [28, 32, 37]

Lower Barthel index [37, 38]

Malnutrition or lower BMI at admission [28, 37, 39]

Greater lesion volume [27, 31, 36, 40]

Subcortical vs. cortical involvement [24, 41, 42]

Brainstem involvement [3, 24, 25, 32, 34, 41, 43]

Corticobulbar tract involvement [38, 44]

White matter involvement [25, 38, 44]

Presence of dysarthria [31, 32]

Presence of dysphonia or reduced maximum pitch [31, 45]

Cognitive impairment or dementia [22, 29]

NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; mRS, Modified Rankin Scale; BMI, body mass index