1. What is Dysphagia?
For those who suffer from dyshagia, swallowing is difficult and often painful. Some people with dysphagia experience trouble swallowing foods, liquids and even their own saliva. In certain cases, the dysphagia sufferer is unable to swallow at all. Medical professionals categorize dysphagia into four types--esophageal, oropharyngeal, unexplained dysphagia and dysphagia in infants and children.
2. Causes of Dysphagia
There are many causes of each of the four types of dysphagia. The most common type is esophageal dysphagia, which feels like food is sticking in the chest or throat. A common cause of this type of dysphagia is the weakening muscles in the esophagus due to aging. Other causes include the sphincter muscle not relaxing, defused spasms of the esophageal muscles, esophageal stricture, narrowing of the esophagus due to scar tissue or tumors, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), scleroderma and having a foreign object stuck in your throat. Oropharyngeal dysphagia is often the result of damaged or weakened nerves and muscles that the body uses for swallowing. This happens to people with Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy or multiple sclerosis. This type of dysphagia also results from sudden neurological damage such as spinal cord injury, brain injury or stroke. Unexplained dysphagia does not have any physical reason. Examples of this are people that can swallow normally but have trouble swallowing pills, or feeling a lump in the throat when there is no physical cause. Dysphagia in children and infants is usually the result of disorders to the nervous system such as meningitis, cerebral palsy, premature births, low birth weight, a cleft palette or a cleft lip.
3. Expect an Endoscopy for Diagnosis of Dysphagia
A medical practitioner needs to do a physical examination and tests to find the cause of the dysphagia. The screening tools used most often include a barium X-Ray, an endoscopy and an esophageal muscle test. The barium X-Ray requires that you drink a barium solution, which coats the esophagus, making it easier to see on the X-rays. During an endoscopy, the doctor passes a flexible thin instrument with a light called an endoscope down the throat, allowing him to see the esophagus. An esophageal muscle test involves inserting a small tube into the esophagus and connecting it to a pressure recorder. The recorder measures the contractions of the esophageal muscles as you swallow.
4. Treatments for GERD and dysphagia
Treatments for dysphagia depend on the type and severity of the disorder. For some dysphagia sufferers with an esophageal stricture or tight sphincter muscle, doctors attach a special balloon to an endoscope and stretch the esophagus. Prescription drugs effectively treat GERD and esophageal spasms. Other conditions such as a tumor or pharyngeal diverticula often require surgery. Oropharyngeal dysphagia requires treatment from a throat specialist or a neurologist. Exercises that re-stimulate the nerves in the esophagus and coordinate muscles needed to swallow are often helpful. Severe cases of dysphagia require special diets or a feeding tube.
5. Dysphagia Diet
Dysphagia sufferers often require a special diet based on the severity of their condition. It is essential that these people eat enough to provide proper nutrition and take in enough calories to maintain a healthy weight. Dysphagia sufferers should fortify food by adding powdered milk to liquid milk and adding strained baby food to cooked cereals, fruit juice and milkshakes. It is often necessary to puree or mince food for easier swallowing. Certain cases of dysphagia require that the patient thicken thin liquids, so they will swallow the liquids properly. Patients that are unable to swallow liquids correctly will aspirate (or breathe in) liquids, which causes the fluids to enter the lungs. It is fairly common for patients in this condition to develop aspiration pneumonia. There are special nutritional thickeners sold for this purpose.
