Gender effect on the clinical measurement of swallowing

Abstract

Background - Swallowing coordination is affected by cortical and subcortical inputs from the central nervous system. Our hypothesis is that the swallowing dynamics may be influenced by gender. Aim - To evaluate the influence of gender on water swallowing dynamics. Methods - We studied 111 health subjects, 36 men, aged 24-77 years (mean: 46.3 ± 16.1 years) and 75 women, aged 22-75 years (mean: 39.6 ± 13.3 years). All volunteers swallowed in triplicate 50 mL of water at 4°C while precisely timed, when we measured the time to swallow all the volume and counted the number of swallows. We calculated the inter-swallow interval: the time to complete the task, in seconds, divided by the number of swallows; swallowing velocity: volume drunk (mL) by the time taken (s); swallowing volume capacity: volume drunk (mL) divided by the number of swallows. Results - Women had a shorter inter-swallow interval, slower swallowing velocity and lower volume capacity than men. Conclusion - Gender has an effect on water swallowing dynamics, with women having a lower swallowing velocity and a lower volume capacity in each swallow than men.