Speech therapy profile of neuropathic preschool children undergoing hospitalization in a pediatric hospital in Santa Catarina

Abstract

Introduction: Neuropathies are problematic in the central nervous system, and can generate multiple complications, with significant repercussions on neuropsychomotor and myofunctional development. Objective: To characterize the speech - language profile of neuropathic children from 4 to 6 years of age who were admitted to the Hospital Universitário Pequeno Anjo, in the city of Itajaí - SC. Methodology: Cross-sectional, quantitative and retrospective research, approved by the ethics committee under opinion number 2,567,167. Composed of children from 4 to 6 years old with a previous diagnosis of neurological disease, who underwent hospital admission between March 2016 and March 2017, being described descriptively the diagnosis of neurological disease and changes in swallowing. Results: It was identified a higher prevalence of neurological affections, incidence of inflammations in the central nervous system and cerebral palsy in the male gender. The swallowing pattern was altered in these diseases, except in cases of epilepsy and hydrocephalus. Conclusion: The relationship between mechanical changes in neuronal structures and swallowing disorders is considered, and new studies are needed to analyze the hypothesis from this study.