What causes dysphagia?

Difficulty swallowing foods or liquids, arising from the throat or oesophagus, ranging from mild difficulty to complete and painful blockage.

COMMON CAUSES

Difficulty swallowing can have causes that aren't due to underlying disease. Examples include large bites of food, inadequate chewing, dry mouth, pills or food that's too hot. Swallowing is also difficult when talking, laughing or lying down.

If you have dysphagia, you may have some of the following symptoms:

Pain while swallowing (odynophagia)
Choking
Feeling like something is stuck in your throat or chest
Being hoarse
Coughing up food
Gagging or coughing when swallowing
Bad breath
Drooling
Weight loss
Frequent heartburn
Dehydration
Inhaling food (aspiration), which can lead to lung infections such as pneumonia

If you regularly have trouble swallowing or have these symptoms, call your family doctor. If food has gotten stuck and you’re having trouble breathing, call for emergency help right away.

Dysphagia can happen at any age, but it is more common in older people. Many different things can cause dysphagia:

Poor eating habits. Eating too fast or taking large bites can cause dysphagia. So can eating while lying down or not drinking enough water while eating. You may also experience dysphagia if you can’t chew properly because of painful or missing teeth or dentures.
Nerve and muscle disorders. People who have had a stroke, or people who have Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, or myasthenia gravis may have problems swallowing. These disorders can stop the nerves and muscles in your esophagus from working right. The esophagus is the tube that runs from your mouth and throat down to your stomach. This can cause food to move slowly or even get stuck in the esophagus.
Problems with the esophagus itself. For example, conditions like acid refluxcan damage the esophagus and cause scar tissue to form. The scar tissue may narrow the opening of the esophagus and may result in dysphagia.
Other disorders. Certain cancers, an enlarged thyroid, or an enlarged heart may put pressure on the esophagus and cause dysphagia.

Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms. He or she will probably ask you what foods or liquids you have trouble swallowing. They will want to know if you have pain when swallowing or frequent heartburn. Your doctor may also ask you if you’ve coughed or thrown up any blood. If your doctor decides you may have dysphagia, he or she may order tests to figure out what is causing it.

You may have a test called a barium swallow. During this test, you will drink a liquid that contains a small amount of barium. Then the doctor can watch it travel through your body on an X-ray machine. This test can show whether something is blocking your esophagus, or if another problem is causing your dysphagia.

You may also need an endoscopy. For this test, the doctor uses a flexible tube with a light at the end of it. He or she will look inside the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine. The doctor may take a small sample of tissue (called a biopsy) to rule out cancer or other possible causes of your dysphagia. You will probably be given a sedative medicine. This should make you more relaxed and comfortable during the test. Your throat will also be numbed, so you shouldn’t feel pain when the tube is inserted.