Navigating Dysphagia: Signs, Causes & Solutions

Approximately 1 out of 25 adults will experience difficulty swallowing in their lifetime. Simply put, dysphagia is difficulty in swallowing food, liquids, and/or medications. Dysphagia can affect almost any age, from a baby in the NICU who is having trouble coordinating the suck-swallow reflex to an older adult who is having difficulty swallowing food due to a progressive disease like Parkinson’s.

In this blog, we will take a deeper look at the signs and symptoms, causes, and long-term effects of dysphagia.

Signs and Symptoms

Many people dismiss the early signs of swallowing difficulty. It’s important to be mindful of these persistent symptoms:

• Drooling

• Loss of food out of the mouth while chewing 

• Difficulty chewing

• Pain while swallowing 

• Complaints of food sticking in the throat

• Frequent coughing or throat clearing during and/or after swallowing

• Difficulty breathing while eating or after eating

• Significant weight loss

• Complaints of discomfort in the throat 

• Frequent pneumonia

• Taking a long time to eat or drink. 

Causes

Various conditions can cause dysphagia, as it can be an underlying symptom as a result of another medical concern.

• Stroke

• Traumatic brain injury

• Spinal cord injury

• Neurological disorders (dementia, Parkinson's, MS, etc)

• Developmental disabilities

• Myasthenia gravis 

• General aging 

• Premature birth (babies)

• Cancer

• Advancing Age

• Trauma to the head or neck

• Some medications

• GERD

• Poor oral care and oral health

Long-term effects

Difficulty swallowing poses many immediate concerns and issues that need to be addressed. The long-term effects are also a concern for the overall health and well-being.

• Malnutrition

• Dehydration

• Choking

• Weight loss

• Aspiration pneumonia

• An overall decline in enjoyment of eating

How a speech therapist can help

The speech therapist will likely gather case history information, as well as the symptoms of dysphagia. Then, the therapist will complete an oral motor exam, which will assess your mouth, teeth, lips, jaw, tongue, and soft palate by having you complete a variety of movements. 

Typically, a speech therapist will have you trial various foods and liquids and assess from the outside what happens when you swallow. A patient may be referred for a video swallow study following a bedside assessment. A video swallow study can be completed with an x-ray machine or a fiberoptic endoscope to watch what is happening inside while a patient swallows. Following these assessments, the speech therapist may recommend swallow exercises, swallow compensatory strategies, diet modifications, and/or further testing potentially done by a gastroenterologist. 

Having trouble swallowing can be scary, but working with your healthcare team, you can experience relief. By working with a speech therapist, they can provide strategies, modifications, and recommendations to help you improve your swallowing.