Swallowing Disorders
What is "dysphagia"?
Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing. It can either be for solids or liquids. Typically, dysphasia is a sign that either there is something neurologically wrong, meaning the muscles don't coordinate with swallowing, or there is a physical obstruction to your swallowing.
What causes swallowing disorders?
Swallowing disorders are typically caused from either a neurologic deficit, such as a stroke, where the nerves that control the movement and coordinate the swallowing mechanisms are altered. The other causes of dysphagia are a tumor or a mass that kind of blocks the esophagus or the pharynx, and kind of prevents food from going down easily, as it should.
What are the symptoms of swallowing disorders?
Typically patients with dysphagia, or swallowing disorders, will feel like they have an obstruction to their swallowing. They won't just have a sensation like a tickle in their throat, they'll actually feel like they have the inability to swallow food. Patients also have trouble with liquids, as if they have difficulty swallowing and have dysphagia, they may aspirate those liquids into their lungs and have problems with coughing as well. Dysphagia can also be signaled by either problems like chewing food or moving the tongue, or problems with the voice. These all can be signs that there is something neurologically wrong and that that's causing the problems with the swallowing.
What should I do if I think I have a swallowing disorder?
If you have a swallowing disorder, the first thing you want to do is see your primary care physician or an otolaryngologist. They will evaluate your swallowing and look for any signs of tumors that may be blocking you from swallowing well. After this, you will be sent for a swallowing evaluation, where an X-ray will be taken of your esophagus, with a contrast material that will show if there is any blockage in the esophagus. If everything is normal from that aspect, the next test may be an MRI test of your brain, to make sure there's no neurologic deficits.
How are swallowing disorders treated?
Swallowing disorders are usually treated by a speech therapist, who shows the patients exercises that they can use to coordinate their swallowing. So, if it's a neurologic deficit and the patient has problems like moving the food back into their throat with their tongue, they'll teach the patient how to do exercises to improve their swallowing. Typically, patients are able to learn the behaviors that they need to do to get food down and to swallow again. There's no medicine that can really help the patient improve their swallowing.
