(ISSN 2638-1311)
OBM Geriatrics is an international peer-reviewed Open Access journal published quarterly online by LIDSEN Publishing Inc. The journal takes the premise that innovative approaches – including gene therapy, cell therapy, and epigenetic modulation – will result in clinical interventions that alter the fundamental pathology and the clinical course of age-related human diseases. We will give strong preference to papers that emphasize an alteration (or a potential alteration) in the fundamental disease course of Alzheimer’s disease, vascular aging diseases, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, skin aging, immune senescence, and other age-related diseases.
Geriatric medicine is now entering a unique point in history, where the focus will no longer be on palliative, ameliorative, or social aspects of care for age-related disease, but will be capable of stopping, preventing, and reversing major disease constellations that have heretofore been entirely resistant to interventions based on “small molecular” pharmacological approaches. With the changing emphasis from genetic to epigenetic understandings of pathology (including telomere biology), with the use of gene delivery systems (including viral delivery systems), and with the use of cell-based therapies (including stem cell therapies), a fatalistic view of age-related disease is no longer a reasonable clinical default nor an appropriate clinical research paradigm.
Precedence will be given to papers describing fundamental interventions, including interventions that affect cell senescence, patterns of gene expression, telomere biology, stem cell biology, and other innovative, 21st century interventions, especially if the focus is on clinical applications, ongoing clinical trials, or animal trials preparatory to phase 1 human clinical trials.
Papers must be clear and concise, but detailed data is strongly encouraged. The journal publishes a variety of article types (Original Research, Review, Communication, Opinion, Comment, Conference Report, Technical Note, Book Review, etc.). There is no restriction on the length of the papers and we encourage scientists to publish their results in as much detail as possible.
Publication Speed (median values for papers published in 2023): Submission to First Decision: 5.7 weeks; Submission to Acceptance: 17.9 weeks; Acceptance to Publication: 7 days (1-2 days of FREE language polishing included)
Topical Collection
Dysphagia in Older People
Editor
David G Smithard, BSc, MB, MD, FRCP, FRCSLT(Hon)
Consultant in Elderly and Stroke Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, Woolwich, SE18 4QH, UK;
Research Fellow, Department of Sports Science, University of Greenwich, London, SE9 2UG, UK
Research Interests: Dysphagia; frailty; care homes; stroke; swallowing rehabilitation; healthy aging
Topical Collection Information
Swallowing problems or oral pharyngeal dysphagia (OD) has many aetiological factors, is associated with a poor prognosis and eventually death. OD is recognised by many to be a new “Geriatric Giant”. Many countries are experiencing an ageing population, which inevitably means an increase in the number of people with long-term conditions (including frailty). OD will occur in the context of many long-term conditions, not just neurological disease, and is common in the presence of frailty. The frequency of OD in some medical conditions may reach 100% as the disease severity progresses.
There are many questions to be asked, including the question “what is normal” in the older generations particularly the very old. Without understanding this many people will be “medicalised” and investigated inappropriately.
This Special Edition is inviting papers on all subjects (e.g. pathophysiology, prevalence, management, rehabilitation) to do with swallowing and OD in older people, both reviews and novel research.
Publication (16 papers)
Abstract
| Informal caregivers play a critical role in supporting individuals with dementia, yet often face significant challenges that impact their own quality of life (QoL). This exploratory study investigates the multifaceted factors contributing to caregiver QoL, particularly focusing on care r [...] |
Abstract
| Zenker’s diverticulum is a cause of benign dysphagia. The main symptoms include dysphagia and regurgitation and require diagnostics to exclude neoplastic disease. Surgical treatment is recommended for symptomatic patients. The methods of treatment include endoscopic and open transcervica [...] |
Abstract
| Objective: The present study aimed to elucidate the relationship between oral exercise and oral function among older adults requiring care in the nursing facilities of Japan. Methodology: The subjects were adults aged 65 year [...] |
Abstract
| Anterior cervical osteophytes are common in the geriatric population. Dysphagia can occur in individuals suffering from these spinal abnormalities. Surgical intervention is an uncommon course of treatment for these patients, but is often utilized as a last resort with the hope of swallow [...] |
Abstract
| Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is a common condition, especially among the elderly population and can become debilitating. As we age, there are subtle changes in esophageal motility, but by no means is dysphagia ever considered to be a normal result of aging. Dysphagia usually pres [...] |
Abstract
| Esophageal cancer is a disease with difficult clinical management, and palliative therapy is the only predominant treatment. This retrospective study analyses the results of clinical management of elderly patients (>75 years of age) who were treated with esoph [...] |
Abstract
| Fatigue is a term commonly used to describe patient performance and/or subjective experience in the evaluation and management of swallowing disorders (known as dysphagia). There is an association between fatigue and aging, as well as fatigue and many dysphagia-causing diseases/disorders. Therefore, [...] |
Sophia Demeneopoulou
, Marianna Mantzorou
, Petra Mandysova
, Nikoletta Margari
, Eleni Dokoutsidou
, Aggeliki Tsiligianni
, Chrysoula Tsiou
and
Theodoula Adamakidou
Abstract
| Background. Dysphagia may be a threatening condition if not diagnosed and treated early. Healthcare professionals need simple, quick and reliable tools for their daily clinical practice to be able to evaluate it immediately. The purpose of the present study was the translation and validation of t [...] |
Abstract
| Individuals with acute stroke on nonoral feeding regimens frequently develop pneumonia, questioning the long-held belief that pneumonia in stroke patients is a caused by food and liquid aspiration alone. Refluxate and colonized oral secretions are thought to contribute to an acidic oropharyngeal env [...] |
Abstract
| A 64-year-old, cachectic man with body mass index (BMI) <19 visited in clinic with the chief complaint of dysphagia for 6 months. He reported a 2-year history of reflux and heartburn, for which he has been taking pantoprazole but reported only 40% relief of reflux symptoms. He reported progressiv [...] |
Namita A. Goyal
and
Tahseen Mozaffar
Abstract
| Inclusion body myositis is one of the most common acquired myopathies seen in the aging population. The muscle weakness is of insidious onset, frequently starting in the legs, but over time gradually progresses to eventually involve all skeletal muscles of the limbs, face, swallowing and respiratory [...] |
Abstract
| Research suggests there are age-related changes in swallowing that do not constitute impairment (“presbyphagia”). The goal of this study was to explore the influence of age on quantitative measures of healthy swallowing by controlling for the effects of sex and sip volume in order to det [...] |
Abstract
| Generalisations and misconceptions about ageing and swallowing can influence clinical opinion. Assumptions about swallowing function based on someone’s age risk overmedicalising or, conversely, undertreating older patients. Evidence suggests that increased prevalence of swallowing problems in older [...] |
Abstract
| The Cobb angle is traditionally used for quantifying the degree of spinal curvature through evaluation of the full spinal cord. When conducting measurements on videofluoroscopy swallowing studies (VFSS), the Cobb angle can measure degree of cervical vertebrae curvature, which may have implications f [...] |
Abstract
| Dysphagia is a term that is used for the difficulty in moving liquid/food from mouth to the stomach. Dysphagia is very common in elders, which makes them susceptible to malnutrition, infection, institutionalization, and death. Consequently, it is categorized as a geriatric syndrome. Therefore, multi [...] |
Abstract
| Background: As the world’s population ages, so the number of old and frail people increases. Respiratory disease is a common reason for hospital admission for older people. Aspiration of saliva, which is probably infected, is the likely etiological agent. The presence of an abnormal swallow has been [...] |
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