{"id":1627,"date":"2023-10-20T16:55:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T21:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/?p=1627"},"modified":"2023-10-20T16:55:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T21:55:04","slug":"what-is-dysphagia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/what-is-dysphagia\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Dysphagia?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>While you might not be familiar with the term dysphagia, it actually describes having <a href=\"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/throat\/swallowing-disorders\/\">difficulty swallowing.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a common problem that many older adults, in particular, deal with. Data tells us that anywhere between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK559174\/\">10-22% of adults over 50 have trouble swallowing<\/a>. That number increases to 40% of adults over the age of 60.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take a closer look at both the symptoms and causes of dysphagia, as well as what can be done to treat the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common Symptoms of Dysphagia <\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1254\" height=\"836\" src=\"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/iStock-1395951829.jpg\" alt=\"Senior man having trouble swallowing.\" class=\"wp-image-1630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/iStock-1395951829.jpg 1254w, https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/iStock-1395951829-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1254px) 100vw, 1254px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>While the occasional problem swallowing, especially if you\u2019re eating too quickly or taking too big of bites, is probably not a sign of an underlying condition, frequent swallowing issues might be. These issues can manifest in several ways, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Feeling like food is stuck in your throat or chest<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Frequent heartburn<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coughing or gagging when you eat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hoarseness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regurgitation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weight loss<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Causes Difficulty Swallowing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Multiple medical conditions can interfere with your ability to swallow correctly. Some are relatively benign, while others are more serious health concerns. Some causes of dysphagia include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/throat\/acid-reflux\/\">Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diffuse spasm<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Esophageal stricture<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Esophageal tumor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Neurological disorders or damage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Zenker&#8217;s diverticulum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Complications from Dysphagia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Having difficulty swallowing can make it difficult to enjoy certain foods or make you feel self-conscious when you are out to eat in Lake Jackson somewhere, like Table 24. Additionally, depending on the severity of dysphagia, you may develop complications such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Malnutrition<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weight loss<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dehydration<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Aspiration pneumonia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that if you ever feel as though food is stuck in your throat or making it difficult to breathe, you should seek emergency medical treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Treatments for Swallowing Problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you frequently have trouble swallowing when you eat or drink or experience related symptoms, you should make an appointment with your medical provider. They can assess your symptoms, perform a physical examination and decide what additional testing may be needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your treatment options will largely depend on the underlying cause of your dysphagia. Some options include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Medications to control acid reflux<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Corticosteroids<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Muscle relaxants<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learning swallowing exercises and techniques to coordinate certain muscles and stimulate nerves<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Esophageal dilation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Surgery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have additional questions or would like to schedule an appointment to be evaluated by one of our experts, contact <span class=\"company-name \">Lake Jackson ENT &amp; Med Spa<\/span> today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While you might not be familiar with the term dysphagia, it actually describes having difficulty swallowing. It\u2019s a common problem that many older adults, in particular, deal with. Data tells us that anywhere between 10-22% of adults over 50 have trouble swallowing. That number increases to 40% of adults over the age of 60. Let\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1630,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakejacksonent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}