Oropharyngeal dysphagia is one of the complications of endotracheal intubation. As expected, cases of dysphagia following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) reported to date have all been intubated. We here report a case of sarcopenic dysphagia following severe COVID‐19 pneumonia in a nonintubated older adult. The patient was an 85‐year‐old male who was readmitted to the hospital with dysphagia and subsequent aspiration pneumonia in the first week after his discharge from the COVID‐19 unit. On physical examination, the patient was sarcopenic and malnourished. Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) revealed aspiration into the airway. Enteral feeding was initiated and the infusion rate gradually increased to achieve the desired protein‐energy targets. Control FEES 2 months after discharge showed recovery of swallowing function, with no apparent penetration or aspiration. Clinicians caring for patients with COVID‐19 should be aware that dysphagia, which is associated with increased mortality in older adults, may occur even in the absence of intubation. We recommend that the evaluation of dysphagia be part of the clinical assessment in older COVID‐19 patients with malnutrition or sarcopenia.

Introduction: To determine the prevalence of low muscle mass (LMM) and the relationship between LMM with functional and nutritional status as defined using the LMM evaluation method of European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria among male residents in a nursing home. Methods: Male residents aged >60 years of a nursing home located in Turkey were included in our study. Their body mass index (BMI) kg/m², skeletal muscle mass (SMM-kg) and skeletal muscle mass index (SMMI-kg/m²) were calculated. The participants were regarded as having low SMMI if they had SMMI 70 years. Thirty-five men (23%) had low SMMI in group aged >60 years, and twenty-eight subjects (25%) in the group aged >70 years. MNA scores were significantly lower in residents with low SMMI compared with having normal SMMI (17.1 ± 3.4 versus 19.6 ± 2.5, p = 0.005). BMI was significantly lower in the residents with low SMMI compared with normal SMMI (19.6 ± 2.7 versus 27.1 ± 4.1, p< 0.001). ADL scores were significantly different between residents with low SMMI and normal SMMI in those aged >70 years (8.1 ± 2.6 versus 9.1 ± 1.6, p = 0.014). In regression analyses, the only factor associated with better functional status was the lower age (p = 0.04) while the only factor associated with better nutrition was higher SMMI (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Low SMMI detected by LMM evaluation method of EWGSOP criteria is prevalent among male nursing home residents. There is association of low SMMI with nutritional status and probably with functional status within the nursing home setting using the EWGSOP criteria with Turkish normative reference cut-off value.

An under-diagnosed geriatric syndrome: sleep disorders among older adults