NCT07401732

Dysphagia in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 137 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Tanta University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The primary goal of this cross-sectional study is to assess risk factors/predictors for dysphagia severity in RA. The secondary goals include demonstrating whether flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy can diagnose 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 severity via flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy in rheumatoid arthritis patients? * Whether flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy can diagnose joint-affection-induced dysphagia in patients with RA? * Whether both oropharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia are present in patients with RA?

Detailed description

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.

Conditions

• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	flexible fiberoptic pharyngolaryngoscopy	Flexible Endoscopic Evaluations of Swallowing (FEES) will be used to examine the nose, throat, and airway to diagnose possible causes of dysphagia. The dysphagia severity scale via FEES will be scored. It is a flexible process that may be applied to a variety of situations and objectives (named as flexible pharyngolaryngoscopy). Following the routine oropharyngeal examination, its versatility can enable it to be used as a laryngoscope for examining the larynx and adjacent regions.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-02-07
• Primary completion: 2026-03-05
• Completion: 2026-03-05
• First posted: 2026-02-10
• Last updated: 2026-03-09

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: Egypt