When to seek medical advice You should see your GP if you, or someone you care for, have difficulty swallowing or any other signs of dysphagia so you can get treatment to help with your symptoms.
Your GP will assess you and may refer you for further tests. Treating dysphagia Treatment usually depends on the cause and type of dysphagia. Treatments for dysphagia include: speech and language therapy to help people recover their swallowing with special exercises and techniques changing the consistency of food and liquids to make them safer to swallow other forms of feeding — such as tube feeding through the nose or stomach surgery to widen the oesophagus, by stretching it or inserting a plastic or metal tube stent Read more about treating dysphagia.
Causes of dysphagia Dysphagia is usually caused by another health condition, such as: a condition that affects the nervous system, such as a stroke , head injury , multiple sclerosis or dementia cancer — such as mouth cancer or oesophageal cancer gastro-oesophageal reflux disease GORD — where stomach acid leaks back up into the oesophagus Children can also have dysphagia as a result of a developmental or learning disability, such as cerebral palsy. Complications of dysphagia Dysphagia can sometimes lead to further problems.
Warning signs of aspiration pneumonia include: a wet, gurgly voice while eating or drinking coughing while eating or drinking difficulty breathing — breathing may be rapid and shallow If you, or someone you care for, have been diagnosed with dysphagia and you develop these symptoms, contact your treatment team immediately, or call NHS Esophageal dysphagia is the feeling that something is stuck in your throat.
This condition is caused by:. If you think you may have dysphagia, there are certain symptoms that may be present along with difficulty swallowing. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and when they began. Your doctor will do a physical examination and look in your oral cavity to check for abnormalities or swelling.
A barium X-ray is often used to check the inside of the esophagus for abnormalities or blockages. During this examination, you will swallow liquid or a pill containing a dye that shows up on an abdominal X-ray. The doctor will look at the X-ray image as you swallow the liquid or pill to see how the esophagus functions. This will help identify any weaknesses or abnormalities. A videofluorscopic swallowing evaluation is a radiologic exam that uses a type of X-ray called fluoroscopy.
This test is performed by a speech-language pathologist. It shows the oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal phases of the swallow. This will help the doctor detect the ingestion of food and liquid into the trachea. They can use this information to diagnose muscle weakness and dysfunction.
An endoscopy may be used to check all areas of your esophagus. During this examination, the doctor will insert a very thin flexible tube with a camera attachment down into your esophagus. This allows the doctor to see the esophagus in detail.
The manometry is another invasive test that can be used to check the inside of your throat. More specifically, this test checks the pressure of the muscles in your throat when you swallow. The doctor will insert a tube into your esophagus to measure the pressure in your muscles when they contract. A speech-language pathologist will perform a swallowing evaluation to diagnosis your dysphagia.
Once the evaluation is completed, the speech pathologist may recommend:. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. People with dysphagia have difficulty swallowing and may even experience pain while swallowing odynophagia.
Some people may be completely unable to swallow or may have trouble safely swallowing liquids, foods, or saliva. When that happens, eating becomes a challenge. Often, dysphagia makes it difficult to take in enough calories and fluids to nourish the body and can lead to additional serious medical problems. Swallowing is a complex process. Some 50 pairs of muscles and many nerves work to receive food into the mouth, prepare it, and move it from the mouth to the stomach.
This happens in three stages. During the first stage, called the oral phase, the tongue collects the food or liquid, making it ready for swallowing. The tongue and jaw move solid food around in the mouth so it can be chewed.
Chewing makes solid food the right size and texture to swallow by mixing the food with saliva. Saliva softens and moistens the food to make swallowing easier. Normally, the only solid we swallow without chewing is in the form of a pill or caplet. Everything else that we swallow is in the form of a liquid, a puree, or a chewed solid. The second stage begins when the tongue pushes the food or liquid to the back of the mouth.
This triggers a swallowing response that passes the food through the pharynx, or throat see figure. During this phase, called the pharyngeal phase, the larynx voice box closes tightly and breathing stops to prevent food or liquid from entering the airway and lungs. The third stage begins when food or liquid enters the esophagus, the tube that carries food and liquid to the stomach.
The passage through the esophagus, called the esophageal phase, usually occurs in about three seconds, depending on the texture or consistency of the food, but can take slightly longer in some cases, such as when swallowing a pill.
Dysphagia occurs when there is a problem with the neural control or the structures involved in any part of the swallowing process.
Are you having difficulty swallowing? Gastroenterology Wellness. November 09, November 04, October 28, October 18, October 08, Inspire Me. Advise Me. Does my child have ADHD, or are they just being a kid? Comments 0. Add comment.
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