Dysphagia also known as swallowing disorders usually affect patients who are admitted in hospital, those residing in nursing homes and those receiving care in the offices of doctors. Swallowing disorders usually occur because of medical problems like cerebrovascular accidents, Parkinsons disease, stroke, side effects of medicines and gastroesophageal reflux disease. If you have ever suffered from a stroke, your chances of suffering from aspiration resulting from dysphagia are high.
People of any age can suffer from swallowing disorders and the elderly may face serious consequences. Patients who have dysphagia can develop aspiration pneumonia or even pass away. People who face problems swallowing foods or their dysphagia is accompanied by weight loss, vomiting or regurgitation should consult with a physician. Those who are not able to breathe well because of an obstruction should seek immediate medical assistance. Physicians and speech-language pathologists can perform a dysphagia evaluation to find out the cause of this issue.
Doctors use various tests to determine the cause of swallowing problems. One of these tests is the barium X ray. The physician will ask you to drink a barium solution, which will coat your esophagus so that it will be more visible on X-rays. Your physician will be able to see changes in the shape of the esophagus and can evaluate muscular activity. Your physician can also ask you to swallow a pill or solid food that is coated with barium to examine the muscles in the throat while you are swallowing it to check for blockages that the barium solution cannot identify.
The other test that doctors perform is the dynamic swallowing study. During this test, you will swallow foods coated with barium and have different consistencies. The test will provide an image of these foods while they are traveling through the mouth and down the throat. The images may show issues in the way your mouth and throat muscles coordinate as you swallow and determine if the food is getting into your breathing tube.
The other test that doctors perform is endoscopy. This test involves evaluating the esophagus visually. It involves passing an endoscope (thin and flexible, lighted instrument) through the throat to evaluate the esophagus. The physician may also check for narrowing, inflammation, a tumor or eosinophilic esophagitis in your esophagus.
The other test that physicians perform is the esophageal muscle test (manometry). They insert a minute tube into the throat and connect the tube to a pressure recorder. This test enables doctors to measure the contraction of muscles of the esophagus as a patient swallows.
Another test that doctors carry out is an imaging scan, such as the CT scan. The CT scan merges serial X-ray views with computer processing to come up with cross section pictures of muscles and bones. Doctors may also request patients to undergo an MRI scan so that they can get detailed images of organs and tissues.
After the evaluation, the doctor or speech-language pathologist will discuss the results with you and your family if necessary. The doctor may ask you to avoid eating certain food items or change the thickness of the liquids you consume. The doctor will also recommend the most appropriate treatment depending on the cause or type of dysphagia you have.
People of any age can suffer from swallowing disorders and the elderly may face serious consequences. Patients who have dysphagia can develop aspiration pneumonia or even pass away. People who face problems swallowing foods or their dysphagia is accompanied by weight loss, vomiting or regurgitation should consult with a physician. Those who are not able to breathe well because of an obstruction should seek immediate medical assistance. Physicians and speech-language pathologists can perform a dysphagia evaluation to find out the cause of this issue.
Doctors use various tests to determine the cause of swallowing problems. One of these tests is the barium X ray. The physician will ask you to drink a barium solution, which will coat your esophagus so that it will be more visible on X-rays. Your physician will be able to see changes in the shape of the esophagus and can evaluate muscular activity. Your physician can also ask you to swallow a pill or solid food that is coated with barium to examine the muscles in the throat while you are swallowing it to check for blockages that the barium solution cannot identify.
The other test that doctors perform is the dynamic swallowing study. During this test, you will swallow foods coated with barium and have different consistencies. The test will provide an image of these foods while they are traveling through the mouth and down the throat. The images may show issues in the way your mouth and throat muscles coordinate as you swallow and determine if the food is getting into your breathing tube.
The other test that doctors perform is endoscopy. This test involves evaluating the esophagus visually. It involves passing an endoscope (thin and flexible, lighted instrument) through the throat to evaluate the esophagus. The physician may also check for narrowing, inflammation, a tumor or eosinophilic esophagitis in your esophagus.
The other test that physicians perform is the esophageal muscle test (manometry). They insert a minute tube into the throat and connect the tube to a pressure recorder. This test enables doctors to measure the contraction of muscles of the esophagus as a patient swallows.
Another test that doctors carry out is an imaging scan, such as the CT scan. The CT scan merges serial X-ray views with computer processing to come up with cross section pictures of muscles and bones. Doctors may also request patients to undergo an MRI scan so that they can get detailed images of organs and tissues.
After the evaluation, the doctor or speech-language pathologist will discuss the results with you and your family if necessary. The doctor may ask you to avoid eating certain food items or change the thickness of the liquids you consume. The doctor will also recommend the most appropriate treatment depending on the cause or type of dysphagia you have.
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