The Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI)-Normative Values. Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Dysphagia
Sobol, M., Kober, A. M., et al. (2021).
Dysphagia, 36(6), 1005-1009.
This systematic review and meta-analysis report the normative value of the dysphagia handicap index for adults with no history of dysphagia, neurological disease, cardiovascular incident, or head and neck malignancy.
No funding received
From database inception to June 15, 2020
Cross-sectional and case-control studies with retrospective or prospective designs
5
Findings demonstrated a normative value of 2.49 (confidence interval= 0.51-4.48) for the Dysphagia Handicap Index in a group of 323 participants, aged 20 to 86 years. All included participants had no history of dysphagia, neurological disease, cardiovascular incident, or head and neck malignancy. Results should be interpreted with caution due to a lack of confirmation of normal swallowing pathophysiology via instrumental swallowing evaluation and potential for bias within included studies. Further research is indicated.
