SynthesisDysphagia2026
Sarcopenic Dysphagia Reconsidered: A Systematic Review of Complex Interactions and Diagnostic Challenges.
Synthesis in Dysphagia, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Association of Dysphagia Severity with Nutritional Status and Muscle Function in Outpatients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Factors associated with probable sarcopenic dysphagia and development of a clinical classification model in older ICU patients: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Sarcopenic dysphagia is an emerging clinical concept defined as dysphagia resulting from generalized sarcopenia and sarcopenic changes in the muscles involved in swallowing. However, despite growing clinical interest, its diagnostic criteria, pathophysiological boundaries, and causal validity remain insufficiently established. This systematic review aimed to examine how sarcopenic dysphagia has been defined and assessed in the literature and to identify conceptual and methodological gaps. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and CINAHL, covering all records from database inception through December 2024. Studies were included if they explicitly used and defined the term "sarcopenic dysphagia." A total of 31 studies were included, comprising 20 observational studies and 11 case reports. Definitions varied considerably across studies, from structured diagnostic frameworks to the co-occurrence of sarcopenia and dysphagia. Many studies included patients with comorbidities known to independently cause dysphagia, such as neurologic disease or head and neck cancer, thereby complicating causal inference. Given the numerous shared risk factors and known associations between sarcopenia and dysphagia, interpreting a direct causal relationship requires careful consideration. Moreover, swallowing function is influenced by factors beyond muscle mass and strength, including neuromuscular coordination and age-related physiological changes. This systematic review highlights that the current conceptualization of sarcopenic dysphagia is challenged by the complex influence of multifactorial etiologies, the association between sarcopenia and dysphagia, and methodological limitations in swallowing assessment. Future research may require prospective longitudinal studies using standardized, objective measures to clarify the complex interplay between sarcopenia and swallowing dysfunction.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.