What causes difficulty swallowing?
Dysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing. It can arise from several causes. It’s important that you and your physician find the cause of your difficulty swallowing – because dysphagia can be dangerous. You must tell your physician promptly if you are having problems swallowing. The muscles surrounding the esophagus (“food tube”) usually propel food down the tube. In dysphagia, muscle dysfunction prevents the food from going down properly. Because your esophagus is so close to your windpipe, complications can be serious and include choking. To help discern the cause of dysphagia, your doctor may recommend a test called a barium swallow. For some patients, surgical procedures can correct dysphagia. How long will the disease last? Doctors do not know. It could be of short duration (one year) or much longer. Because we do not know where the cause arises, it’s difficult to tell if the disease is cured or still active. What does treatment do? Treatment today focuses on control
