Discovering A Dysphagia Evaluation For Throat Issues

By Harold Ellis


When it comes to swallowing, most people have no problem. While this is the case, individuals whom do have trouble swallowing may need to seek out a dysphagia evaluation. While the term dysphagia is associated with signs and symptoms, it actually refers to difficulty swallowing foods or liquids.

While most often people know about the problem, there can be some instances in which it can occur without symptoms. Whereas, while classified as symptoms and sights, the condition can also be a stand alone issue. In many cases, dysphagia can be a side of effect of severe hay fever or other allergies.

In cases in which individuals might be ill aware of a problem, most often it is because it is due to this type of obstruction. For, if the obstruction begins below the throat, there are often no visible symptoms. When this happens, most often digestive and intestinal issues will arise within a few days.

While dysphagia and odynophagia are connected, most individuals experience a great deal more pain with odynophagia. Whereas, another condition known as globus can make an individual feel like something is stuck in the throat sometimes to the point of being painful. When experiencing any of these symptoms, it is often advised that the individual check with a primary health care provider to discover the cause and proper treatment.

When these conditions go untreated, individuals run a higher risk of pulmonary aspiration and aspiration based pneumonia due to liquids and food taking the wrong route and becoming absorbed into the lungs. As a result, individuals with silent aspiration which do not have a cough or other symptoms, can often experience renal failure following a period of dehydration or malnutrition.

Individuals suffering from dysphagia can also have issues such as not being able to control saliva and food, unexplained weight loss, coughs, nasal regurgitation and a wet voice. As such, individuals suffering from dysphagia on a long term basis may want to carry tissues when visiting family and friends, in public venues and while at work. For, a number of these symptoms can cause an individual to spontaneously drool or drop foods and liquids while drinking and eating meals or snacks.

During an evaluation, individuals are often asked where one feels food is getting stuck. In most cases, people point to the neck region. While close, the actual location of the obstruction is always below or above the area in which the obstruction is perceived. As such, an evaluation often includes the area above the throat all the way down to the area of the lower intestine.

In most cases, esophageal dysphagia just means difficulty swallowing and can often be treated quickly and easily. On the other hand, odynophagia is a more complicated condition with distinctive symptoms which can also be indicative of cancer. While of concern, it should be noted that there are a number of other issues which can cause odynophagia that are not related to cancer.




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