[Dysphagia] Nectar vs honey

[eripley at yahoo.com (Irene Campbell-Taylor)]

Since I never use thickened fluids I must confess to not having paid much attention to the various labela used. Reading the Logemann et al study on thickeners and chin down it appears that the thicker consistency (honey) was associated with a twofold increase in pneumonia. Is this correct - that the thicker consistency is honey and this was associated with increased respiratory dysfunction? One can't say that it "caused" pneumonia because there are insufficent data to support such a conclusion. The authors state that "It is likely that the increased pneumonia in the patients who remained on honey-thickened liquids for three months resulted from the reduced ability of the chest's ciliary action to clear thicker material from the lungs" that would seem to encourage the use of plain water instead.

Dr I Campbell-Taylor
Clinical Neuroscientist
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