Dysphagia is a common disorder related to swallowing difficulty that can occur at all ages, although it is prevalent among the elderly population. This problem can be temporary or permanent and can affect both men and women. But what is it specifically about?
What is dysphagia?
The term dysphagia denotes any disturbance in the progression of food from the mouth to the stomach and can involve any of the stages of swallowing. Swallowing is the ability to channel solid, liquid, gaseous, or mixed substances (food or drink, alone or together) from the mouth to the stomach.
It is a complex process involving rapid coordination of a set of muscles that allows on the one hand the passage of the bolus-that is, the chewed, kneaded, saliva-soaked food-to the digestive system and on the other hand the protection of the airway and lungs from the danger of aspiration and/or penetration.
Swallowing is a process that is partly voluntary and partly reflexive in nature, as some stages are not under our control and are therefore involuntary. If there are complications during this process, there can be even serious consequences, such as ab ingestis pneumonia.
Recognizing this disorder in time is critical to patient safety and life.
What are the causes of dysphagia?
Dysphagia can have several causes, and according to the American Gastroenterological Society they can be classified as follows:
- Neurological - trunk tumors, head trauma, stroke, cerebral palsy, Guillain-Barré syndrome, Huntington's disease, poliomyelitis, post-polio syndrome, tardive dyskinesia, metabolic encephalopathies, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease;
- Structural- cricopharyngeal bar, Zenker's diverticulum, cervical scars, oropharyngeal tumors, congenital malformations, osteophytes, and skeletal malformations;
- Myopathic-connective diseases (overlap syndrome), dermatomyositis, myasthenia gravis, sarcoidosis, myotonic dystrophy, oculopharyngeal dystrophy, polymyositis, paraneoplastic syndromes;
- Iatrogenic - side effects of drug therapies, post-surgery consequences of muscle or neurogenic surgery, effects from radiation exposure, corrosive (pill injury, intentional);
- Infectious-diphtheria, botulism, Lyme disease, syphilis, mucositis (from herpes, cytomegalovirus, candida, etc.);
- Metabolic-amyloidosis, Cushing's syndrome, thyrotoxicosis, Wilson's disease.
If dysphagia is suspected, it is desirable to contact your physician and follow the necessary process for diagnosing the disorder to understand its degree of severity and how to respond.
