June is National Dysphagia Awareness Month. If you’ve never experienced the condition or known someone who has, you’re probably unfamiliar with the term. We’ll explore what it is, what causes it, when to seek help, and how sufferers can get relief.

What is Dysphagia?

Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing or the inability to swallow. It may involve pain when trying to swallow. Generally, dysphagia isn’t very serious and resolves itself quickly. We’ll all experience it for brief moments in our lives when we don’t chew our food enough or eat too fast. 

But, if you struggle to swallow on a recurring basis, you should seek treatment from an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor. Unchecked, long-term dysphagia can lead to serious health issues like malnutrition, dehydration, and pneumonia (due to food or drink inadvertently getting routed to your lungs and causing an infection). In rare cases, it could even cause you to choke to death.

Warning Signs

Dysphagia can show itself in many different ways. Here are some potential signs to look for:

  • Feeling like there’s a lump in your throat or that something is stuck there
  • Coughing or choking on food, drink, mucus, or saliva
  • Coughing up blood
  • Drooling
  • Weight loss (due to the inability to ingest food)
  • Voice becoming hoarse

Pro Tip: While it’s easy to detect these red flags in ourselves, it’s essential to keep an extra sharp eye on those we care for, particularly if they’re elderly.

Causes of Dysphagia

Dysphagia Causes

Dysphagia is a symptom of another medical problem and can be triggered by:

  • Tonsillitis (or other throat infection)
  • Esophageal scarring or a weak esophagus 
  • Vocal fold weakness or paralysis
  • Acid reflux (can cause esophageal damage)
  • Tumors in the throat, esophagus, or lungs
  • Nerve diseases like Parkinson’s, MS (multiple sclerosis), or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
  • Side effects from medication
  • Surgery to your chest, back, or neck
  • Radiation to your chest, back, or neck
  • Stroke
  • Having something lodged in your throat

Important Note: If you ever experience difficulty breathing, call for an ambulance. If something feels stuck in your throat (but you can still breathe), head to your closest emergency department.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis begins with an examination of your mouth and throat. If more information is needed, your physician may have to insert a tube into your throat (called a flexible laryngoscope) to take a closer look. Based on those results, your ENT doctor might partner with a gastroenterologist or other specialist to:

  • have you swallow barium and x-ray your mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach.
  • do an upper endoscopy that explores your esophagus and stomach.
  • perform manometry, which is a test that determines if your throat and esophagus generate enough pressure for you to swallow properly. 
  • run an MRI or CT scan on your digestive tract.

Although the diagnostic process may seem grueling, it’s critical to determine the root cause of your dysphagia. That way, the right course of treatment gets prescribed. 

Dysphagia Treatment

Dysphagia Treatment Options

Dysphagia has many potential treatment options based on the cause. For mild cases, you may be able to manage it mostly on your own by:

  • eating smaller pieces of food slowly.
  • chewing everything thoroughly.
  • avoiding foods that are hard to swallow or cause acid reflux.
  • treating acid reflux quickly and consistently.
  • practicing swallowing exercises to get your nerves or muscles to function as they should.
  • adapting how you swallow, including how you position your body when you eat and what you do with the food in your mouth.
  • taking muscle relaxants if you have esophageal spasms.

However, more extreme cases may require additional medical intervention such as:

  • putting you on a liquid diet.
  • stretching your esophagus.
  • performing surgery to remove tumors.
  • inserting a feeding tube.

In general, your doctor will implement the least invasive treatment regimen that ensures you get the nutrition and hydration you need while reducing your risk of choking.

Final Thoughts

Typically, dysphagia isn’t a life-threatening condition. However, persistent difficulty swallowing should get taken seriously. If you have ongoing dysphagia symptoms, call our office today so we can help!