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Oropharyngeal dysphagia is highly prevalent in hospitalized patients with Alzheimer disease or other dementias. These patients often are prescribed thick liquid diets as part of dysphagia management, despite the lack of robust evidence that this intervention improves clinical outcomes (Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018; 9:CD011077).
Researchers conducted a retrospective study of patients with Alzheimer disease or other dementias who were hospitalized with clinical concern for dysphagia in 11 hospitals in New York. In a propensity-matched analysis, ≈4500 patients (mean age, 86) who received thick liquid diets (based on the consistency of at least 75% of intake) were matched to ≈4500 patients who had received thin liquid diets. Hospital mortalit…