Sublingual administration of atropine eye drops for treating sialorrhea after stroke: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND

Sialorrhea is a common concern in patients with swallowing disorders after stroke. Atropine sulfate blocks the muscarinic receptors in the salivary glands and leads to reduced saliva production.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to assess the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of sublingual administration of atropine eye drops for treating sialorrhea after stroke.

DESIGN

This was a prospective cohort study.

SETTING

This study was conducted at Xiangyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Hubei Province, China.

POPULATION

Stroke patients with sialorrhea were analyzed.

METHODS

One hundred stroke patients with sialorrhea were randomly assigned to the control group and the test group (n = 50 per group). The control group received routine swallowing rehabilitation training and neuromuscular electrical stimulation. The test group received therapy with 1% atropine eye drops, wherein one drop was administered sublingually 3 times per day. The Sialorrhea Scoring Scale and the incidence of adverse events were used to compare the severity of sialorrhea in the two groups.

RESULTS

The mean (standard deviation) sialorrhea score improved from 5.12 for the control group with routine rehabilitation training to 3.94 for the test group with atropine eye drop administration (P < 0.01). No significant differences in the incidence of adverse events were observed between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The sublingual administration of 1% atropine eye drops three times per day can reduce the degree of sialorrhea to an extent more than that achieved with routine rehabilitation training; thus, this approach is effective, safe, and minimally invasive for treating sialorrhea after stroke.