Presbyphagia

Although age-related changes place older adults at risk swallowing disorders, an older adult’s swallow is not necessarily an impaired swallow. Presbyphagia refers to characteristic changes in the swallowing mechanism of otherwise healthy older adults. Clinicians are becoming more aware of the need to distinguish among swallowing disorders, presbyphagia (an old yet healthy swallow) and other related diagnoses in order to avoid over diagnosing and over treating presbyphagia. Older adults are more vulnerable and with the increased threat of acute illnesses, medications and any number of age-related conditions, they can cross the line from having a healthy older swallow to being dysphagic.

Work focused primarily on the anatomy and physiology of the oropharyngeal swallowing mechanism indicates a progression of change that may put the older population at increased risk for swallowing disorders. Such changes combined with naturally diminished functional reserve, the resilient ability to adapt to physiological stress, make the older population more susceptible to dysphagia.