Nutrition Issues Related to DM
In this webinar, Kari Lane, RD, CNSC, Clinical Dietitian at the University of Utah, discusses nutritious diets to maintain heart and GI health for people living with myotonic dystrophy.
In this webinar, Kari Lane, RD, CNSC, Clinical Dietitian at the University of Utah, discusses nutritious diets to maintain heart and GI health for people living with myotonic dystrophy.
Community-led session presented by Regina Thompson and Jessica Nussbaum. Two caregivers discuss different ways of preparing food for those with dysphagia.
Cynthia Gagnon, PhD, OT, of the Université de Sherbrooke, discusses ways to modify daily living activities to best benefit those living with DM.
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Linda Nguyen, MD, of Stanford University, discusses GI health as it relates to myotonic dystrophy, and ways to combat these symptoms.
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...What emergency interventions should be followed? Does chewing food a lot help food go down easily? Does drinking lots of liquids with a meal help? Any particular type of liquid?
Swallowing problems come from both oropharyngeal muscle weakness and abnormal motility of the esophagus. The patient should be evaluated by a speech pathologist and a gastroenterologist with fibroscopic and manometric testing. If patients are not able to do these studies, the modified barium swallow test should be done to assess the risk for aspiration. The speech therapist should be able to give useful advice to alleviate the problem. If the problem imposes high aspiration risks, G tube insertion should be considered. Chewing, drinking fluids, and pureed foods may help. If aspiration occurs, or may have occurred and fever starts, go to an emergency center for treatment.
...Are these related to the following: a) digestion, b) type of food eaten, c) muscles not working properly? How can these problems be treated?
Most problems are due to intestinal motility. Selection of foods is important. Appropriate amounts of fiber supplements may be useful, although overuse may produce impaction if the patient becomes constipated. Stool softener and non-irritant laxatives are useful. Cisapride (Propulsid) and other prokinetic drugs should be avoided because of cardiotoxicity.
A discussion of the signs and symptoms of dysphagia, a swallowing disorder, as well as the different muscles that can be affected by this DM symptom.