Dysphagia

Dysphagia essentially means to have difficulties in swallowing foods or liquids. It differs in condition from person to person. Some are unable to swallow particular foods or liquids, while other may not be able to swallow anything at all. It usually occurs as an after – effect of some other unhealthy conditions like mouth or throat cancer, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD refers to the condition when the stomach acid comes in contact with the Oesophagus causing dyspepsia) or stroke.

Types of Dysphagia

Dysphagia is of two types:
‘Low’ or esophageal Dysphagia: this refers to the condition where difficulties in swallowing occur due to problems in the oesophagus. Low Dysphagia is mainly caused by an obstruction or uneasiness felt in the oesophagus, and is usually cured by a surgery.
‘High’ or oropharyngeal Dysphagia: this refers to the condition where difficulties in swallowing occur due to problems in the throat or mouth. High Dysphagia is mainly caused by chronic issues in the muscles and nerves that play a major role in the swallowing procedure. It needs a much more effective and exigent method of curing than that of low Dysphagia.

How common is Dysphagia,

Dysphagia is quite common among people with some particular health conditions. For instance, is has been studied that around 30 – 40% of aged people lodging at nursing homes have Dysphagia to some extent. It is widely experienced among elderly people, as a normal outcome with increasing age. It is also a common side effect of strokes, attacking almost one in every two people.

Symptoms of Dysphagia

The most common symptoms of Dysphagia are as follows:

• Discomfort in swallowing food or liquids
• Experiencing pain while swallowing
• The food that is swallowed comes back up immediately
• Get choked or cough while eating
• Retching or coughing while swallowing
• Getting a feeling that food is trapped in your chest or throat
• Unwanted weight loss
• Experiencing chronic lung infections or pneumonia

Diagnosing Dysphagia

First of all, it is important to detect whether the patient has been affected with ‘high’ Dysphagia or ‘low’ Dysphagia. There are several ways of doing the same, some of which are as follows:
Recent Medical History:
In this, you will be asked a few questions about the symptoms experienced such as:
The duration for which it has been happening
Whether there is a problem in swallowing solid food or liquids or both
Weight loss details in the past few months
This will help the doctor to have a better knowledge of the condition you are facing.
Water – Swallow Test:
The water swallowing test helps to know the swallowing abilities of the patient. In this, the patient is asked to swallow 150 ml of water as fast as he can. The GP will make a note of the time taken and the number of swallows required. At times, the patient is even asked to eat and swallow a fruit or soft solids such as pudding.
Barium swallow test:
If the patient is assumed to have Dysphagia, he/she is referred to an ENT specialist for further treatment, where a barium swallow test is conducted.
This test is the most prominent way of detecting the exact problem. In this, the patient is asked to drink some barium solution, a non toxic chemical which is usually used for testing. A special camera is used to notice the swallowing procedure, which is recorded and used to check the cause and exact location of the problem.
Endoscopy:
This is a medical test in which an endoscope (a camera) is used to detect the barriers caused by GORD or any cancerous tumours.