Patients
dysphagia, epilepsy, stroke, swallowing dysfunction, liver and kidney disease
DYSPHAGIA, EPILEPSY, STROKE, DISEASE, CEREBRAL EDEMA, COMPLICATIONS
This parallel-group, randomized clinical trial was completed by 40 patients. From October 2019 to August 2021, 40 patients with dysphagia after the first stroke were admitted to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Jinhua Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University. They all met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to the tDCS group and the conventional treatment group, with 20 patients in each group. All patients or their families submitted written informed consent. This study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Jinhua Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the present study, all participants were required to satisfy the following inclusion criteria: (1) The stroke was diagnosed according to the definition of stroke by the World Health Organization and confirmed by head CT or MRI. (2) Age 30–65 years old. (3) The first or a history of stroke but no previous swallowing dysfunction and the course of the disease within 3 months, with the SSA score ≥ 22 points and the PAS grade ≥ level 4. (4) The condition is in a stable stage, with stable vital signs and no serious complications in the heart, lungs or other organs. Exclusion criteria included: (1) Previous history of dysphagia. (2) Age > 65 years old or < 30 years old. (3) CT or MRI shows significant cerebral edema. (4) Patients with a history of epilepsy or continuous use of central nervous system-active drugs that can interfere with the effect of tDCS, such as carbamazepine, phenytoin and valproic acid. (5) Unstable condition and other serious heart, lung, liver and kidney disease. The enrollment flow diagram is shown in Fig. Flow diagram of participants through the trial