SWAL-QoL cut-off is 65.7 for DM patients.

Clinicians should monitor DM patients to detect and address swallowing issues early.

Rehabilitation is key to easing swallowing issues and improving DM patients' lives.

Swallowing difficulties are common in DM and may reduce quality life scores.

Swallowing difficulties are increasingly recognized as a significant yet underreported complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), with evidence suggesting that more than 50 % of patients with the condition may be affected. This study aimed to assess the impact of swallowing disorders on the quality of life in DM patients, to identify other factors influencing swallowing disorders, and to determine the cut-off score for the SWAL-QOL questionnaire in these patients using data mining methods.

This cross-sectional study analyzed 150 DM patients, assessing swallowing assessment using the EAT-10, quality of life with the SWAL-QOL, and swallowing difficulty through the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

Patients with dysphagia exhibited significantly lower scores across multiple SWAL-QOL subgroups-including General Burden, Food Selection, Eating Duration, Eating Desire, Fear of Eating, Sleep, Fatigue, Communication, Mental Health, Social Functioning, and the total SWAL-QOL score compared to non-dysphagic patients (p < 0.001). The Swallowing Difficulty-VAS score was significantly elevated in dysphagic patients (p < 0.001). EAT-10 scores were correlated with Swallowing Difficulty-VAS and SWAL-QOL subgroups, including General Burden, Food Selection, Eating Duration, Eating Desire, Fear of Eating, Sleep, Fatigue, Communication, Mental Health, Social Functioning, and the total score. The SWAL-QOL total score cut-off of 65.7 was identified for DM patients with dysphagia.

Close monitoring of these symptoms by clinicians is essential, and targeted rehabilitation interventions are strongly recommended to improve both swallowing function and overall quality of life in this population.

Diabetes mellitus

Deglutition

Deglutition disorders

Quality of life

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