|
|
Understanding Dysphagia
Dysphagia is a serious clinical condition accompanied by difficulty in swallowing. Persons, who are afflicted with this grave ailment, may find it extremely difficult in gulping food in either solid or liquid form. At the same time there are others who are quite unable to swallow any kind of food at all. This condition makes it almost impossible for them to get the required calories, so that they begin to lose weight in an alarming manner. As such, it is absolutely necessary to treat the disorder without any delay so that issues like malnutrition and other similar conditions that are harmful to an individual's health, can be avoided before it is too late.
There Are Multiple Causes of Dysphagia
The causes of dysphagia are many, the most common of them being a stroke or a head injury. Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, infection and the consequent swelling of the esophagus or even a birth defect like cleft palate can bring about this serious illness. Certain cancer therapies can also make it impossible to swallow.
Are There Treatments?
Treatment of dysphagia depends on the basic cause. To find out the cause, a doctor will employ various methods such as medication or even surgery. If such methods do not produce any tangible results, the doctor might advise a patient to consult a speech-language pathologist, even if there is nothing wrong with his or her faculty of speech. After further testing, the pathologist will devise a plan of treatment according to the specific impairment of the sufferer.
A speech therapist will look for weak muscles in the mouth, throat, or tongue and address any coordination issues that appear to affect the swallowing mechanism. The therapist may use exercises to strengthen the swallowing muscles or teach the patient new ways to swallow.
Leave It Alone Or Not?
Serious issues can arise if dysphagia is not treated promptly. Apart from the inability to maintain a healthy weight, patients with dysphagia may also get food or liquid trapped in the pharynx, or windpipe, where bacteria can grow and cause pneumonia. Other times, the weakened esophagus may develop a pocket that traps food and prohibits the passage of other food or liquid. The trapped food may then slip into the pharynx during sleep and cause infection.
Most cases of dysphagia can be treated and improved when addressed quickly.
|
 |
Please Rate: |
|
Rating: |
 Processing ... |
(Average: Not rated) |
| Views: | 14 | |
|
| More Articles from Languages | | |
| Top Articles in Languages | | |
|
