What is dysphagia?
Dysphagia is an impairment in the ability to chew or swallow foods/liquids. Dysphagia is related to neurological disorders and occurs in infants, children, and adults. Symptoms of possible dysphagia include: • choking/coughing frequently at meals • feeling as if food is stuck (won’t go down) • food/liquids coming out of the nose • inability to contain food/liquids in the mouth • difficulty chewing food • runny nose/watery eyes at meals • significant weight loss • vocal changes during oral intake If you experience any of the above symptoms or others not mentioned you should see your physician and be evaluated by a speech language pathologist to determine the degree of impairment and receive instructions on how to decrease the risk for pulmonary involvement.
