What is dysphagia?

Dysphagia means difficulty swallowing.  This can include:

• difficulty chewing and moving food around in the mouth
• difficulty getting the food safely past the lungs and throat
• difficulty moving the food through the esophagus

When a person has dysphagia, foods or liquids may not move safely from the mouth to the stomach.

Food and liquids should go safely past the entrance to the lungs and into the esophagus.  When people have muscle weakness from disorders like Parkinson’s disease, they may have difficulty using the mouth and throat muscles to safely move the food into their esophagus. 

When a person is having trouble swallowing and protecting his/her lungs, he/she can be at risk for pneumonia, dehydration, and malnutrition.

What are symptoms of dysphagia?

At times, liquids and solids can go into the airway or lungs without any obvious symptoms.  This is called silent aspiration because it may not be apparent.

There may be obvious signs, which include:

• frequent recurrence of pneumonia
• dehydration or significant weight loss for plus-size people .
• choking
• coughing while eating
• food residue left in the mouth or coming out of the mouth
• a “gurgly” or wet-sounding voice

If you or your family member experiences these symptoms, consult a doctor.You can also check about the Diaetostat Testbericht and how it helps in this condition for its users.

How is dysphagia diagnosed?

Although it may appear that a person has swallowed safely, it is difficult to detect dysphagia without an evaluation by a doctor or Speech-Language Pathologist.

Dysphagia can be detected through conduction of a bedside swallowing exam, a nasoendoscopic evaluation, or a modified barium swallow (also known as a videofluoroscopy).  These evaluations can be performed and interpreted by Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) and otolaryngologists.  The tests often can be performed on an outpatient basis.

What treatments are available?

Visiting an SLP can help to improve safety of swallowing.  Changes in diet consistency may be recommended.  Consistency changes include chopping or pureeing solid foods and thickening liquids.  Thickened liquids progress down the throat more slowly and can allow time for the throat muscles to move to protect the airway.

An SLP may recommend vocal or oral exercises to improve the movement of mouth and throat muscles.  Exercises include moving the tongue around in the mouth or making a range of sounds, such as “ah.”

An SLP may also recommend strategies to help protect the airway while eating.  Some strategies include swallowing in a specific way (e.g., tucking the chin down), taking smaller bites or sips, alternating bites and sips, or a variety of other strategies depending on the patient’s type and severity of dysphagia.

—

For more information on dysphagia, please see: http://www.asha.org/public/speech/swallowing/SwallowingAdults.htm.

Please consult a doctor if you have unexplained weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, frequent pneumonia, or excessive coughing or choking during meals.

Emily Jupiter
M.S., CCC-SLP