Dysphagia

Dysphagia Dysphagia is a difficulty that usually affects a patient cared for by a family physician, a patient in the hospital, and a nursing home patient. Cerebrovascular accidents, gastroesophangeal reflux disease, and medication side affects can lead to Dysphagia. Dysphagia is classified as oropharyngeal, esophageal, and obstructive, or neuromuscular symptom complex. It leads to a successful diagnosis in eighty to eighty-five percent of patients. Based on patient history, a physical exam, barium esophagram, and/or a gastroesophangeal endoscopy are several ways to confirm Dysphagia. At times a study is done with a specialist to confirm the diagnosis. Starting complaints of dysphagia is a “difficulty swallowing”, and is most common in an aging person. Seven to ten percent of adults older than fifty have dysphagia. This number tends to be low due to the fact most cases go unnoticed. Deglutition is the act of swallowing when food or liquid is transported from the mouth through the pharynx and esophagus, finally into the stomach. Normal deglutition involves a complex series of voluntary and involuntary neuromuscular contractions proceeding from the mouth to the stomach, and is divided into two stages, the oropharyngeal stage, and the esophageal stage. The oropharyngeal stage starts with a contraction of the tongue and food, dysphagia, esophagus, esophageal, patients, oropharyngeal, swallowing, through, studies, muscles, upper, stomach, patient, lesions, endoscopy, barium, study, stage, reflux, pharynx, obstructive, motor, involuntary, diagnosis, common, structural, oropharynx, mouth, contractions, cause, work, while, ways, variety, treatment, system