Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a rare myopathic disease that results in
progressive degeneration of the oral and pharyngeal muscular, resulting in severe dysphagia
and dysarthria. OPMD is considered a rare disease; therefore, limited research is available
on the natural progression of the disease or the utility of biomarkers to identify
swallowing impairment. The aim of this study is:
1. To identify accurate, reliable and non-invasive clinical markers of swallowing
impairment
2. To determine the discriminate ability of these markers to identify impairments in
swallow safety and swallowing efficiency.