Introduction Dysphagia is one of the general symptoms encountered in clinical practice. The impact of dysphagia can be devastating to a patient\'s physical condition and quality of life (QOL). To evaluate the QOL of patients with dysphagia there are numerous self-reported questionnaires. The most commonly used one such questionnaire is the Swallowing Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (SWAL-QOL). However, it is not concise and is incomplete as it does not address all the aspects of dysphagia. To overcome this, the Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) was developed. It focuses on the functional and emotional aspects in addition to the physical aspects of dysphagia. Objective To develop a Tamil version of the DHI (DHI-T) and assess its reliability, cultural adaptability and validity. Materials and method This cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2021 to December 2022 on 140 participants consisting of 70 dysphagia patients and 70 healthy individuals. Results The reliability and validity of the DHI-T were good with a high correlation between DHI-T and self-perceived severity scales of dysphagia. The mean total score in the Dysphagia group was 59.77 with the mean physical, functional and emotional scores being 23.86, 17.46 and 18.46 respectively. These scores were less compared to the Healthy group (p-value <0.01). Conclusion This study shows that DHI-T can be used as a reliable and valid tool to grade and study the different domains of dysphagia in our study population. Among the various causes of dysphagia studied in our population, it was noted that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related dysphagia patients had higher mean score in the emotional domain. To the best of our knowledge, the DHI scores for COVID-19-related dysphagia have not been done before. As the application of DHI in routine clinical practice and research is increasing, we believe this DHI-T can be of aid to Tamil-speaking patients.

Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) is a self-assessment questionnaire which consists of 25 statements to examine three aspects of dysphagia patients\' quality of life (QoL): functional, physical, and emotional. The patient can get a maximum score of 100 points. The study goal was to validate and translate the Polish version of the DHI (PL-DHI). One hundred and seventy-eight (178) individuals with oropharyngeal dysphagia with different etiology and 35 (thirty-five) asymptomatic adults with no history of swallowing disorders filled out the PL-DHI. Internal consistency was determined using Cronbach alpha coefficient, which was high for the total PL-DHI score (0.962). The reproducibility was high (r-Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.97 for total PL-DHI score). The PL-DHI\'s total score and its subscales were significantly higher in the dysphagia patients study group (SG) than in the healthy controls group (CG) (SG median: 36; CG median: 4). A strong correlation was observed between the PL-DHI score and the self-reported dysphagia severity measure (Spearman\'s correlation coefficient was 0.859, p < 0.001). The Polish DHI is a reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing dysphagia patients\' QoL.

Many studies include functional swallowing ability and quality of life information to indicate a response to a specific swallowing intervention or to describe the natural history of dysphagia across diseases and conditions. Study results are difficult to interpret because the association between these factors and actual swallowing impairment is not understood. We set out to test the associations between components of physiologic swallowing impairment, functional swallowing ability, and swallow-specific quality of life using standardized and validated measurement tools: Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP), Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), and Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI). We specifically aimed to understand which factors may contribute to the overall relationships between these measurement tools when analyzed using total scores and item-level scores. This study included a heterogeneous cohort of 273 outpatients who underwent a modified barium swallow study (MBSS). We found significant correlations between MBSImP total scores and FOIS scores and DHI total scores, but not between MBSImP total scores and EAT-10 total scores. Significant correlations were also found between MBSImP item-level component scores and FOIS scores, EAT-10 total scores, and DHI total scores. Detailed item-level analyses revealed the MBSImP components of bolus transport/lingual motion, oral residue, and tongue base retraction were correlated with EAT-10 item-level scores and DHI item-level scores. The clinically modest associations between physiologic swallowing impairment, functional swallowing ability, and swallow-specific quality of life reveal different factors that uniquely contribute to patients\' overall dysphagic profile, emphasizing the clinical impact of a comprehensive swallowing assessment.

Background Voice and swallowing disorders can create a profound psychosocial impact on the patient\'s quality of life. The focus of this study is to assess the psychosocial disabling effects on patients after total laryngectomy (TLP) using pre-validated surveys called the Voice Handicap Index 10 (VHI) for voice disorders and the Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) for swallowing disorders. Methodology This is a retrospective cohort study that was done on a total of 21 patients. The study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between 2017 and 2022. The Cronbach\'s alpha value was used to evaluate internal consistency reliability. The relationship between DHI, VHI, and demographic and clinical variables was analyzed by correlation analysis. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant, and all the tests were two-sided. Results The Cronbach\'s alpha coefficient satisfied the internal consistency reliability for VHI and DHI for both total and their subscale scores. For DHI, the total score and emotional subscale obtained an alpha of greater than 0.9, indicating excellent internal consistency, whereas both physical and functional alpha scores indicated good internal consistency (α = 0.888 and α = 0.863, respectively). For VHI, the total score and physical subscale of the VHI had excellent internal consistency (α = 0.957 and α = 0.937, respectively), while the functional and emotional subscales had good internal consistency (α = 0.865 and α = 0.894, respectively). The total DHI scores, as well as the functional subscale scores, were significant (p = 0.033, p = 0.025, respectively) in terms of self-reported dysphagia severity. A moderately severe group (69.00 ± 19.17) had higher mean total scores, whereas severe individuals had higher subscale mean scores according to self-reported dysphagia severity. Self-reported dysphagia severity was as follows: normal (n = 3, 14.3%), mild (n = 4, 19%), moderate (n = 8, 38.1%), and severe (n = 6, 28.6%). Conclusions The disability caused by voice and swallowing disorders can be evaluated by VHI and DHI which have been statistically validated as reliable tools to assess the effects of dysphagia and dysphonia on quality of life. Patients after laryngectomy have higher mean DHI and VHI overall and functional subscale scores. However, this study failed to establish any relationship between clinical and demographical characteristics of the patients with DHI and VHI index.

Older adults may evidence changes in swallowing physiology. Our goals were to identify dysphagia risk in community-dwelling older adults with no history of dysphagia, and to compare swallowing physiology and safety between older and younger adults. Thirty-two older adults with no history of dysphagia were prospectively recruited and completed the Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI), two trials of a 3 oz. swallow screen, and videofluoroscopy (VFSS). Self-ratings of swallowing function were compared to published norms by paired t tests, and multivariate logistic regression models were generated to determine whether these ratings and VFSS analysis of swallowing function were associated with failure of one or both swallow screen trials. Archived VFSS of 33 younger adults were compared to older adults with Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. The DHI scores of older adults were higher than published non-dysphagic adults but lower than dysphagic adults. Older participants with greater Oral Residue scores were more likely to fail both swallow screen trials. Older adults received higher median MBSImP™© scores for select pharyngeal components than younger adults. The two age groups did not differ on Penetration-Aspiration Scale scores, and no aspiration was observed. Measures of swallowing in older individuals may reflect age-related sensory and motor changes in the context of functional swallowing and adequate airway protection.

The Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) is a 25-item questionnaire assessing the physical, functional, and emotional aspects of dysphagia patients\' quality of life (QoL). The study goal was to translate and validate the Hebrew-DHI. 148 patients undergoing fiberoptic endoscopic examination of swallowing (FEES) in two specialized dysphagia clinics between February and August 2017 filled the Hebrew-DHI and self-reported their dysphagia severity on a scale of 1-7. 21 patients refilled the DHI during a 2-week period following their first visit. FEES were scored for residue (1 point per consistency), penetration and aspiration (1 point for penetration, 2 points for aspiration, per consistency). 51 healthy volunteers also filled the DHI. Internal consistency and test-retest reproducibility were used for reliability testing. Validity was established by comparing DHI scores of dysphagia patients and healthy controls. Concurrent validity was established by correlating the DHI score with the FEES score. Internal consistency of the Hebrew-DHI was high (Cronbach\'s alpha = 0.96), as was the test-retest reproducibility (Spearman\'s correlation coefficient = 0.82, p < 0.001). The Hebrew-DHI\'s total score, and its three subscales (physical/functional/emotional) were significantly higher in dysphagia patients compared to those in healthy controls (median 38 pts, IQR 18-56 for dysphagia patients compared to 0, IQR 0-2 for healthy controls, p < 0.0001). A strong correlation was observed between the DHI score and the self-reported dysphagia severity measure (Spearman\'s correlation coefficient = 0.88, p < 0.0001). A moderate correlation was found between the DHI score and the FEES score (Pearson\'s correlation coefficient = 0.245, p = 0.003). The Hebrew-DHI is a reliable and valid questionnaire assessing dysphagia patients\' QoL.

There is paucity of literature examining dysphagia after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Moreover, there are few validated scoring systems for dysphagia that adequately assess its psychosocial impact. We aim to investigate dysphagia after LSG using a multidimensional scale that examines its functional and emotional impact. As secondary aims, we evaluated the impact of dysphagia on weight outcomes and its relationship with pre-operative gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use.
One hundred twenty-four patients 1 year or more post-LSG were administered the validated Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) questionnaire. To further delineate esophageal dysphagia, three additional questions were added. One hundred one patients (81.5%) responded. Physical, Emotional, Functional, and Esophageal scales were analyzed combined and individually using a multivariate model.
No patients reported dysphagia pre-operatively. The median DHI scale scores are the following: Physical-2 (0-20); Functional-4 (0-22); Emotional-2 (0-14); and Esophageal-2 (0-8). On multivariate analysis, DHI Emotional scores significantly correlated with reduced total weight loss (%TWL) (p = 0.001) and excess weight loss (%EWL) (p = 0.023). The physical symptoms of dysphagia did not affect weight outcomes. Post-operatively, PPI usage increased significantly (15.8 vs 19.8%, p = 0.01) and correlated with higher dysphagia scores.
A statistically validated dysphagia-specific questionnaire was utilized to evaluate the impact of LSG on dysphagia including its functional and emotional influences. The psychosocial handicap of dysphagia significantly reduced weight loss outcomes. A correlation between PPI use and dysphagia after LSG was found. The prevalence of dysphagia after LSG and the factors that contribute to its symptoms need to be further studied.