Objectives: Dysphagia is a major comorbidity observed in patients with multiple sclerosis, yet different prevalence rates are reported for it. Therefore, we have designed this systematic review to estimate the pooled prevalence of dysphagia in patients with MS.
Method: We searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, and gray literature including references from the identified studies, reviews studies, and conference abstracts which were published up to February 2021. Articles that were relevant to our topic and could provide information regarding the prevalence of dysphagia among MS patients were included; however, articles with self-report screening strategies were excluded.
Results: The literature search found 1993 articles. After eliminating duplicates, 1272 articles remained. Sixteen abstract conference papers were included for final analysis. A total of 10846 MS cases and 4913 MS patients with dysphagia included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence of dysphagia in the included studies was 45.3% (95% CI: [40.7%-50%])
Conclusion: The results of this systematic review shows that the prevalence of dysphagia in MS patients is 45% which is greatly higher compared to the general population.
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