Using a Non-invasive Approach to Evaluate the Effects of Smoking on Swallowing and Respiration Coordination

摘要

Cigarette smoking leads to numerous diseases and other effects on the human body. Most of the ten leading causes of death reported by the World Health Organization in 2008 were related to intensive or long-term smoking. Numerous studies have focused on proving the relationships between smoking behaviors and lung or cardiovascular diseases, but few have addressed the effect of smoking on swallowing and respiration coordination. In this study, we investigated these effects by using a noninvasive, thin-filmed pressure sensor to detect the movements of the thyroid cartilage. By correlating with surface electromyography on the submental muscle and the nasal airflow cannula in the nasal cavity, we measured respiration and swallowing disruptions. The results show that smoking behavior is a major cause of swallowing disorders.