Various Approaches Used For Dysphagia Treatment

By Karen Edwards


Dysphagia is a medical term which is used to mean difficulty in swallowing. There are times when this swallowing difficulty is actually accompanied by severe pain. There are various causes of this swallowing difficulty and the dysphagia treatment methods also varies.

One of the cases of swallowing difficulty is the swelling and tumors. There are certain swelling as well as tumors which actually exact pressure on the oropharynx which lead to swallowing problems. These involves the mouth or even throat cancer, thyroid glands cancer or lumps and the cancer which causes the swelling of lymph nodes which are located in the neck.

Some symptoms which might seem similar to those of dysphagia include food regurgitation, chocking, vomiting coughing as well as pain when swallowing. Some of these symptoms might not be felt when the problem is mild. Some of causes of swallowing difficulties include the neurological problems.

There are certain infections which also lead to difficulties in swallowing. For example problems like swollen lymph nodes, swollen tonsils without forgetting abscess experienced at the back of the throat also lead to swallowing difficulties. There are some breathing problems which also lead to dysphagia. Some of the breathing problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can also have a knock on effect on dysphagia.

Muscles disorders are some other causes of dysphagia. There are certain conditions which affect the smooth muscle or even the connective tissue especially of the gullet which inhibits it from functioning properly leading to dysphagia. Some examples are myositis as well as scleroderma. Individuals who have persistent swallowing problems need to undergo treatment.

When you experience these difficulties in swallowing it becomes extremely important to visit a doctor soonest possible. Tests to be carried out usually depends on the cause of swallowing difficulty. The doctor determines the test to be administered which is dependent on your medical history. The treatment of difficulty in swallowing is also dependent on the type of dysphagia as well as the cause.

This refers to a medical process which is carried out with a main goal of enlarging the width of the gullet so that an individual can have a greater space for which food could go down to the stomach. This procedure is usually carried out to those specific individuals whose gullet is very tight or when there is esophageal stricture. In this case a doctor uses the endoscope test which is attached to a special type of a balloon which stretches and expands the gullet gently.

Difficulty in swallowing which is mostly associated with GERD is usually treated using prescription of some oral medication which aims at reducing the amount of acid in the stomach. You might be required to take these kind of medication for an extended period of time. In case you might be suffering from eosinophilic esophagitis you might need corticosteroids. On the other hand if you are suffering from esophageal spasm some smooth muscle relaxants might be of good help to your problem.




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