Dysphagia is also called difficulty swallowing. It means that people who suffer from dysphagia, have problems with their throat or the muscular tube that moves liquids and food from their mouth to the stomach. So what are the causes of dysphagia?
Causes
Trouble swallowing might happen to anyone and there are many problems that might cause trouble swallowing. Some problems can be minor, although some, might be serious. If you had this problem couple times during the year, you are probably ok and you don’t need any treatment. But if you suffer from dysphagia on a regular basis, then you will need to see your doctor as soon as possible as you might need a serious treatment. There are two types of problems that might be causing you a hard time swallowing.
- Muscles that help move food through your throat might not work properly, and that could happen if you have:
- Had a brain injury or a stroke
- Problems with your nervous system
- Problem with immune system that cause swelling
- Throat spasm. That means that the muscles that move food to your stomach, squeezed and might not let the food get to your stomach.
- Something is blocking your throat. That might happen if you have:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease. When your stomach acids backs up regularly to your throat, it can cause scars to form directly in your throat. And these scars make your throat hurt.
- Infected Lymph nodes that are located in your neck that might press on your throat.
- Esophageal tumors. These growths in the esophagus may be cancerous or not cancerous.
Dry mouth
If you are also suffering from dry mouth, it might be a cause too. A dry mouth can make dysphagia worse. This might happen if you don’t have enough saliva to move the food from your throat to the stomach. In that case it is a good idea to see your doctor and talk about what he can prescribe you so you won’t need to suffer from dysphagia any more.
