Dysphagia in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Prediction of Dysphagia and Its Possible Causes in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study

The primary goal of this cross-sectional study is to assess risk factors/predictors for dysphagia in RA.

The secondary goals include demonstrating whether flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy can detect joint-affection-induced dysphagia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether both oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia are present among these patients.

The main questions it aims to answer are

• What are the predictors that are associated with dysphagia via flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy in rheumatoid arthritis patients?
• Whether flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy can detect joint-affection-induced dysphagia in patients with RA?
• Whether both oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia are present in patients with RA?

This cross-sectional study will comprise RA patients during their visits to inpatient and outpatient clinics. The inclusion criterion is patients with RA defined by the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism collaborative initiative (ACR/EULAR) 2010 classification criteria. Patients aged above 18 years old, well-orientated, and cooperative.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with Rheumatoid arthritis defined by the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism collaborative initiative (ACR/EULAR) 2010 classification criteria.
• Patients aged above 18 years old, well-orientated, and cooperative.

Exclusion Criteria:

• concomitant thyroid dysfunction.
• concomitant hypovitaminosis D.
• concomitant cancer diagnosis, pregnancy.
• jaw-related traumas, teeth, and gum diseases.
• other rheumatologic conditions
• other comorbidities.
• other causes of TMJ arthritis, patients with TMJ, palatal or tongue congenital abnormalities, and patients who underwent TMJ injections in the last six months.
• Patients with any language disorders or intellectually handicapped (as certain questions depend on the patient's ability to comprehend and express their emotions regarding their issue) and patients with anatomical anomalies impeding the functionality of flexible nasofibroscopy.
• Any apparent causes of dysphagia other than RA.