Difficulty swallowing involves inability to swallow liquids or foods normally. Individuals who have a hard time swallowing might choke on liquid or food when attempting to swallow. Difficulty swallowing is medically known as dysphagia. This symptom is not always indicative of a medical issue. Essentially, difficulty swallowing might be brief and subsides on its own.
What are the causes?
Difficulty swallowing can occur from obstruction in the throat such as trapped food, swollen throat or health conditions that causes the esophagus to swell. A swollen tongue or esophagus can lead to difficulty in swallowing. Other causes of difficulty swallowing include the following:
- Dry throat
- Esophageal reflux disease
- Swollen tonsils
- Swollen tongue
- Allergic reaction
What are the types?
Difficulty swallowing have various types that you should be familiar with.
Esophageal
This type is a sensation that an object is stuck in the throat which can be caused by the following:
- Tightness of the lower esophagus
- Spasms in the lower esophagus
- Foreign bodies embedded in the throat or esophagus
- Narrowing or constriction of the esophagus from growths or scarring
- Swelling or narrowing of the esophagus from inflammation or GERD
- Scar tissue in the esophagus
Oropharyngeal
This is caused by disorders affecting the nerves and muscles in the throat where the muscles weaken. This makes it hard for the individual to swallow without gagging or choking.
How to identify difficulty swallowing
If an individual is suspected of difficulty swallowing, there are certain symptoms that might be present such as the following:
- Hoarse voice
- Drooling
- Heartburn
- Regurgitation
- Feeling that there is something embedded in the throat
- Pain while swallowing
- Coughing or choking while swallowing
- Unexpected weight loss
These sensations can cause the individual to skip meals, avoid eating or even lose his/her appetite.
Management
Most cases of difficulty swallowing can improve without requiring treatment. Nevertheless, if it becomes a persistent issue, it can result to malnutrition and dehydration especially among the young and elderly and those who have recurrent respiratory infections and aspiration pneumonia.
Once the symptoms are mild and intermittent, the doctor might recommend exercises to help strengthen the throat muscles. The doctor will perform swallowing techniques that helps the individual swallow food without choking.
In severe cases, hospitalization is required and the individual is given food via a feeding tube. This tube goes directly into the stomach and bypasses the esophagus. A liquid diet might be required until difficulty swallowing improves. This can greatly help in preventing dehydration and malnutrition.