Dysphagia

Introduction Swallowing is one of the most complex body reflexes and requires good coordination of oral, pharyngeal, larynx and esophageal functions. Dysphagia can lead to dehydration, malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia (recurring), and even suffocation. From the time of swallowing to the arrival of food at the door, it takes only a few seconds to go through the complex process described above. This indicates that dysphagia occurs when a link in the swallowing reflex arc of normal humans is damaged. Some patients with dysphagia may be killed by so-called aspiration pneumonia, which is caused by a swallowed food that often enters the trachea and causes a lung infection. Therefore, in the early stage of the disease, the swallowing activity is uncoordinated, and the coughing phenomenon often occurs when swallowing, so attention should be paid and the treatment should be checked early.

Cause

Causes of dysphagia:

1 oropharyngeal disease, such as stomatitis, pharyngitis, posterior pharyngeal abscess, pharyngeal tumor, etc.

2 esophageal diseases, such as esophagitis, esophageal scarring, esophageal cancer, achalasia and so on.

3 neuromuscular diseases, such as ball paralysis caused by various reasons, myasthenia gravis, polymyositis and so on.

4 mental diseases, such as rickets.

an examination

Related inspection

Oral X-ray examination of oral endoscopic otolaryngology CT examination

Inspection and diagnosis of dysphagia:

Patients with dysphagia can more clearly indicate the location of dysphagia and discomfort or pain, and often coincide with the site of the lesion. The clinical manifestations of dysphagia are different depending on the cause and the location of the obstruction. The diagnosis of this symptom should first be distinguished by functional or organic disease. Functional dysphagia often has a long course of disease, but there is no progressive aggravation. There are no abnormalities in various examinations. Endoscopy is a widely used and reliable method of examination, which has great clinical value for determining lesions.

Differential diagnosis

Dysphagia is easily confused with the following symptoms:

Difficulties in swallowing when the neck is raised: Early symptoms of cervical spondylosis of the esophagus are manifested as difficulty in swallowing when the neck is raised and disappear when the neck is bent. Esophageal compression type cervical spondylosis, also known as dysphagia type cervical spondylosis, is relatively rare in clinical practice.

Swallowing pain: the manifestation of pharyngeal inflammation, the pharynx is dry at the beginning, burning, and then pain, especially when swallowing.

Swallowing cyanosis: Difficulty in swallowing occurs when a link in the swallowing reflex arc of a normal human is damaged. Some patients with difficulty swallowing may cause swallowing due to mistakenly swallowed food into the trachea. Patients with frequent swallowing and cough symptoms can be diagnosed.

Dysphagia: When the normal swallowing function is impaired, it is called dysphagia, which is a symptom that is hindered by the food from the mouth to the stomach. It can be caused by functional or organic obstruction of the pharynx, esophagus or spray. The patient adheres, stops, or occludes in the pharynx, behind the sternum, or behind the xiphoid immediately after eating or within 8 to 10 seconds.

Chest pain during swallowing: Chest pain caused by esophagitis, hiatal hernia, diffuse esophageal fistula, and esophageal tumor often occurs or worsens when swallowed.

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