Common Causes
There are several causes of dysphagia. Some relate to problems with the esophagus – the muscular passage connecting the mouth to the stomach. Such problems could be related to dysfunction of the esophageal muscles, tumors in the esophagus, partial blockage of the throat, damage to esophageal tissues from stomach acid, and others.
Related Conditions
A sensation of food getting stuck in the throat or chest or behind the breastbone (sternum) See your health care provider if you regularly have difficulty swallowing or if weight loss, regurgitation or vomiting accompanies your dysphagia. If an obstruction interferes with breathing, call for emergency help immediately.
What are the causes of dysphagia?
Anticholergenic drugs, which affect the nervous system, may be given along with antipsychotics, and increase the risk of developing dysphagia. Tardive dyskinesia : Some medications for mental illness can cause this involuntary movement disorder as a side effect. Tardive dyskinesia can affect the swallowing reflex in either the throat or esophagus.
How do I know if I have dysphagia?
Dysphagia can be serious. Someone who cannot swallow safely may not be able to eat enough of the right foods to stay healthy or maintain an ideal weight.
What medications cause dysphagia?
Is dysphagia serious?
Does vaping affect your esophagus?
E-cigarettes contain nicotine and other chemicals that may damage the esophagus. They may also cause or worsen the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Can smoking cause dysphagia?
Smoking status greatly influences MS-related dysphagia. Smoking increases the incidence and severity of developing swallowing difficulties in MS, specifically rising the risk of silent micro aspirates, thus increasinng MS-related morbidity and mortality.
What diseases are associated with vaping?
These aldehydes can cause lung disease, as well as cardiovascular (heart) disease. E-cigarettes also contain acrolein, a herbicide primarily used to kill weeds. It can cause acute lung injury and COPD and may cause asthma and lung cancer.
Does vaping mess your throat up?
Coughing, dry throat, headaches The most common side effects of vaping include: coughing. dry mouth and throat. shortness of breath.
Will dysphagia ever go away?
Many cases of dysphagia can be improved with treatment, but a cure isn't always possible. Treatments for dysphagia include: speech and language therapy to learn new swallowing techniques. changing the consistency of food and liquids to make them safer to swallow.
What are three disorders that cause dysphagia?
Certain disorders — such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's disease — can cause dysphagia. Neurological damage. Sudden neurological damage, such as from a stroke or brain or spinal cord injury, can affect the ability to swallow.
What are 5 dangers of vaping?
Vaping has been linked to lung injury.Rapid onset of coughing.Breathing difficulties.Weight loss.Nausea and vomiting.Diarrhea.
What are the long term effects of vaping?
These risks include nicotine addiction, mood disorders, and permanent lowering of impulse control. Nicotine also changes the way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning.
What are 10 dangers of vaping?
Serious & Potentially Long-Term Effects of VapingNicotine addiction.Severe lung injury.Seizures.Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP), formerly known as idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP)Popcorn lung.Strokes.Heart attacks.
Is vaping really worse than smoking?
1: Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it's still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.
What is cobblestone throat?
Cobblestone throat involves having inflamed tissue in the back of your throat that looks bumpy. Many people panic when they notice the raised tissue, thinking that the bumps may be cancerous growths. But the bumps are harmless.
Are e cigs worse than cigarettes?
Are e-cigarettes less harmful than regular cigarettes? Yes—but that doesn't mean e-cigarettes are safe. E-cigarette aerosol generally contains fewer toxic chemicals than the deadly mix of 7,000 chemicals in smoke from regular cigarettes. However, e-cigarette aerosol is not harmless.
How does smoking affect your esophagus?
Smoking weakens the lower esophageal sphincter, the muscle between the esophagus and stomach that keeps stomach contents from flowing back into the esophagus. The stomach is naturally protected from the acids it makes to help break down food. However, the esophagus is not protected from the acids.
Can your throat recover from smoking?
The damage caused to the vocal cords can even last after the person has given up smoking and may in some cases be irreversible. Minor swelling can take six to nine months to reduce, while more serious inflammatory lesions may sometimes require surgical intervention.
Can a throat doctor tell if you smoke?
Yes, your doctor can tell if you smoke occasionally by looking at medical tests that can detect nicotine in your blood, saliva, urine and hair.
Can smoking cause throat tightness?
“Most commonly, throat pain is caused by irritation or inflammation,” Dr. Le said. “Irritation might be from dryness, or air pollutants, or smoking cigarettes or overusing your voice. Inflammation might be from acid reflux or a passing viral infection.
What causes dysphagia?
Dysphagia has many possible causes and happens most frequently in older adults. Any condition that weakens or damages the muscles and nerves used for swallowing may cause dysphagia. For example, people with diseases of the nervous system, such as cerebral palsy or Parkinson’s disease, often have problems swallowing. Additionally, stroke or head injury may weaken or affect the coordination of the swallowing muscles or limit sensation in the mouth and throat.
What is dysphagia?
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.
How does dysphagia occur?
Dysphagia occurs when there is a problem with the neural control or the structures involved in any part of the swallowing process. Weak tongue or cheek muscles may make it hard to move food around in the mouth for chewing. A stroke or other nervous system disorder may make it difficult to start the swallowing response, a stimulus that allows food and liquids to move safely through the throat. Another difficulty can occur when weak throat muscles, such as after cancer surgery, cannot move all of the food toward the stomach. Dysphagia may also result from disorders of the esophagus.
What are some problems caused by dysphagia?
Dysphagia can be serious. Someone who cannot swallow safely may not be able to eat enough of the right foods to stay healthy or maintain an ideal weight.
What research is being done on dysphagia?
Every aspect of the swallowing process is being studied in people of all ages, including those who do not have dysphagia, to give researchers a better understanding of how normal and disordered processes compare.
Where can I find additional information about dysphagia?
The NIDCD maintains a directory of organizations that provide information on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language.
How do we swallow?
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.
What causes dysphagia?
Such problems could be related to dysfunction of the esophageal muscles, tumors in the esophagus, partial blockage of the throat, damage to esophageal tissues from stomach acid, and others. Other causes are related to weakening of the throat muscles that may happen due to neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, or brain injury.
What is dysphagia in medical terms?
Dysphagia is a disorder described as a regular difficulty swallowing or moving food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach.
Is dysphasia related to aphasia?
Besides being similar in name, the two disorders are actually quite distinct in their nature. Aphasia (sometimes also called dysphasia) is a speech and language disorder that results from neurological damage to areas involved in language processing. Dysphagia is not related to speech or language production or processing.
Is apraxia a dysphasia?
A disorder that often co-occurs with aphasia – apraxia – is more similar to dysphasia in that it also involves the musculature of the articulators. However, apraxia is also not defined as difficulties swallowing but to production of speech sounds.
What is esophageal dysphagia?
Esophageal dysphagia: This is a problem of the esophagus. This can be caused when something blocks or compresses the esophagus, there’s a muscular disorder or there are pouches in the esophagus .
What causes swallowing difficulties?
Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS) and stroke can lead to swallowing difficulties. Muscle disorders: Myasthenia gravis (an autoimmune condition) and muscular dystrophy affect muscles all over the body.
Why is my esophagus narrowing?
Esophagus narrowing and blockages: Esophageal cancer, a tumor or a swollen thyroid gland can constrict the esophagus ( make it narrower). A narrowed esophagus can make swallowing a challenge. Some people develop webs or Schatzki rings (pieces of tissue inside the esophagus). This tissue narrows the tube and makes it hard to swallow chunks of food. Disorders of the opening of the esophagus can also contribute to difficulty swallowing such as cricopharyngeal hypertrophy. Swallowing can be difficult or impossible if anything is stuck in your throat.
What is swallowing disorder?
Dysphagia is simply defined as a swallowing disorder. It can occur in any of the three phases of swallowing: Oral. Pharyngeal. Esophageal. Dysphagia is often noted in stroke survivors and can affect the oral and/or pharyngeal phase of swallowing. The patient may cough or choke while attempting to swallow saliva, liquids, or food.
Why does my esophagus have scars?
Scarring from acid reflux: Scar tissue can form in your esophagus as a result of GERD (acid reflux disease). GERD can lead to Barrett’s esophagus (irritation in the esophagus lining).
How to stop choking while eating?
Sitting upright while eating: To reduce the risk of choking, your therapist will show you the best way to sit while eating. You can also learn to tilt your head to make swallowing easier. These techniques reduce the risk of liquid getting into your airway (aspiration).
What causes tongue weakness after stroke?
Oral cavity dysphagia: The problem is in the mouth. Typical causes include tongue weakness after stroke, difficulty chewing food or neuromuscular problems. Oropharyngeal dysphagia: The problem is in the throat. This can be a result of a neurological or muscular problem. Esophageal dysphagia: This is a problem of the esophagus.
How to diagnose dysphagia?
During “water swallowing test,” the patient is asked to swallow 50 ml of water in 5-ml aliquots. ND is diagnosed if the patient chokes or coughs or if any alteration in the voice quality is detected. If the patient drinks all 50 ml of water without symptoms, he is considered to swallow normally. Patients with silent aspiration may have no problems during this test. Several assessment tools [22] are used to evaluate and quantify the dysphagia: (1) Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire, a self-reported 15-item questionnaire on swallowing disturbances; (2) Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), a self-administered, symptom-specific outcome instrument for dysphagia; (3) Dysphagia Outcome and Severity Scale (DOSS), a 7-point scale developed to systematically rate the functional severity of dysphagia based on objective assessment; and (4) Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS), an 8-point scale based on VFS, to describe penetration and aspiration events. This is the most used scale for semi-quantitatively assessing the degree of endoscopically and radiologically measured penetration/aspiration.
What are the consequences of dysphagia?
Moreover, malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia are the most common and troublesome consequences of dysphagia, with increased risk of death in elderly and debilitated patients. Especially, aspiration pneumonia is the most common cause of mortality in patients with neurological disease associated to dysphagia [18].
What is the cause of dysphagia in solids?
Theoretically, dysphagia for solids suggests mechanical obstruction caused by diseases involving the esophagus or the base of the tongue (e.g., cancer or lymphoma).
What is ND dysphagia?
In ND, disturbances of the oral and/or pharyngeal phase are very frequent, in contrast to rarely occurring esophageal problems (oropharyngeal dysphagia). Dysphagia in patients with brainstem strokes such as Wallenberg syndrome or multiple sclerosis is usually caused by a focal lesion which interrupts the connections between the NTS and the NA ipsilateral to the lesion. Within 7–10 days, partial or complete recover occurs spontaneously due to vicarious function of the contralateral CPG. Instead, the dysphagia in patients with Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonisms involves pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTN) and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV). More rarely, a CPG dysfunction with consequent increase of the inhibitory output to PPTN with lack of coordination of swallowing muscles can occur in PD. Within the esophageal myenteric plexus, however, Lewy bodies have been identified.
How common is dysphagia in MS?
Dysphagia in multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs in 31.3%. Dysphagia is common in dementia with prevalence rates varying from 13 to 57%. Dysphagia is reported to be prevalent in 30–100% of individuals depending on type of motor neuron disease (MND) and the stage of disease affecting all individuals in the later stages of the disease.
How many people develop dysphagia in the world?
It is estimated that 400,000 to 800,000 individuals worldwide develop neurogenic dysphagia per year [17]. The reported incidence of dysphagia in specific neurologic diseases is variable, owing in part to patient selection methods and evaluation methods (e.g., questionnaires, clinical evaluation, diagnostic evaluation). It is generally agreed that stroke is the most common cause of ND. It is estimated that dysphagia occurs in approximately 65% of acute stroke patients. In Parkinson’s disease (PD), dysphagia occurs approximately in 50%. Dysphagia in multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs in 31.3%. Dysphagia is common in dementia with prevalence rates varying from 13 to 57%. Dysphagia is reported to be prevalent in 30–100% of individuals depending on type of motor neuron disease (MND) and the stage of disease affecting all individuals in the later stages of the disease. There are no data for less common neurological conditions. Moreover, malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia are the most common and troublesome consequences of dysphagia, with increased risk of death in elderly and debilitated patients. Especially, aspiration pneumonia is the most common cause of mortality in patients with neurological disease associated to dysphagia [18].
What is swallowing?
Swallowing is defined as the semiautomatic motor action of the muscles of respiratory, oropharyngeal, and gastrointestinal tract that propels the food from oral cavity to the stomach and protects airway from food, liquids, and other substances. During a swallow, different levels of the central nervous system from the cerebral cortex to the medulla oblongata are involved. About 50 pairs of striated cranial muscles are excited and/or inhibited sequentially allowing the bolus transit from the mouth to the stomach. Dysphagia is defined as an impairment of this complex and integrated sensorimotor system. Neurogenic dysphagia (ND) is typically occurring in patients with neurological disease of different etiologies (see Table 1), and it is associated to high mortality, morbidity, and social costs [1–16]. Neurological problems that cause dysphagia can be categorized in many different ways: anatomic location of the lesion (e.g., central nervous system, peripheral nervous system or muscle), pathogenetic mechanism of disease (e.g., ischemic injury or degenerative process), etiology, or clinic presentation (e.g., dementia or movement disorders). A correct and early diagnosis and an appropriate management of dysphagia could be useful for improving patient’s quality of life and may help to prevent or delay death. In the present review, we discuss thoroughly the anatomy and physiology of swallowing and also the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in impaired swallowing, as well as the diagnosis, management, and potential treatments of neurogenic dysphagia.
What Is Dysphagia?
Dysphagia most frequently occurs when there is a problem with the nerve control or the structures involved in any part of the swallowing process. It occurs when you need to take more time or effort to move food from your mouth to your stomach, or you may not be able to move the food from your mouth, resulting in choking or aspiration of the food.
How do you know if you have dysphagia?
When you have difficulty swallowing due to functional dysphagia, you may be experiencing one or more of the following symptoms: The sensation of food and/or medication getting stuck in the esophagus. Regurgitation of food. Coughing and/or choking with eating and drinking.
What is the name of the condition where you have trouble moving food, liquid, or saliva from your mouth into your throat?
Oropharyngeal dysphagia: With oropharyngeal dysphagia, you have trouble moving food, liquid, or saliva from your mouth into your throat. Patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia present with difficulty in initiating swallowing and may also have associated coughing, choking, or nasal regurgitation.
What is the name of the phobia that causes a lump in the throat?
Dysphagia can also be a symptom of a specific phobia, such as: Phagophobia: Phagophobia is a fear of swallowing. Anxiety and tension can cause the throat muscles to constrict, feeling to some like "a lump in the throat.".
What is the name of the condition where food sticks to the throat?
Esophageal (or obstructive) dysphagia: Patients with esophageal dysphagia present with the sensation of food sticking in their throat or chest. With esophageal dysphagia, you have difficulty passing food down the esophagus (the tube which goes from your mouth to your stomach).
Why is it difficult to swallow solid food?
Neuromuscular symptom complex: Those with neuromuscular dysphagia experience gradually progressive difficulty in swallowing solid food and liquids due to neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease , multiple sclerosis , and motor neuron disease or damage to the central nervous system.
Why is it so hard to swallow?
Difficulty swallowing is typically caused by a physical condition—like a stroke, head injury, some types of cancer, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). While dysphagia has been reported to occur in 6% of the general population, it is thought to be a more common problem in the population of adults with mental illness.
Overview
Difficulty in breathing due to an obstruction in the throat or windpipe.
Choking is not always related to an underlying condition. It may be caused by:
- Eating/ drinking quickly
- Talking with food in the mouth
- Swallowing food without chewing adequately
- Breathing in an area with fumes
- Curious children putting objects in their mouths
Symptoms
Causes
Risk Factors
Complications
- Signs and symptoms associated with dysphagia can include: 1. Pain while swallowing 2. Inability to swallow 3. A sensation of food getting stuck in the throat or chest or behind the breastbone (sternum) 4. Drooling 5. Hoarseness 6. Food coming back up (regurgitation) 7. Frequent heartburn 8. Food or stomach acid backing up into the throat 9. Weight loss 10. Coughing or gagging whe…
Prevention
- Swallowing is complex, involving many muscles and nerves. Any condition that weakens or damages the muscles and nerves used for swallowing or leads to a narrowing of the back of the throat or esophagus can cause dysphagia. Dysphagia generally falls into one of the following categories.