Dysphagia Causes Difficulty Swallowing

Dysphagia Causes - What Are They?

There are many different causes of dysphagia. 

Some common causes are:

Neurological disorders

  • Cerebrovascular accident

  • Parkinson's disease

  • Alzheimer disease

  • Dementia etc.

Neuromuscular disorders

  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease)

  • Multiple sclerosis

  • Muscular dystrophy etc.

Other causes

  • Head and neck injuries

  • Cancer or tumors

  • Throat surgeries


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There are other causes of dysphagia but these are more common ones.

If you suspect that you or your loved one has dysphagia see your doctor right away. Some possible signs may include:

  • momentary loss of voice

  • complaints of something caught in throat

  • decreased appetite

  • weight loss

  • difficulty in chewing

  • throat clearing

  • watery eyes (after eating)

  • wet voice quality (after swallowing)

  • runny nose

  • person gets a temperature 30-60 minutes after eating

  • person refuses to eat certain foods

  • loss of food from mouth


SEE ALSO: The Best Free App for Speech Therapy


What Does it Affect?

The most vital thing swallowing disorders affect is...your life! 

If you consistently swallow food or liquid into your lungs, you can develop pneumonia (water in the lungs).

If your lungs get filled with water, that means there is less room for oxygen. 

Without oxygen...you die.

For safety reasons, a person with a swallowing disorder may be limited to the food they can eat or require a feeding tube.

This would definitely affect your quality of life and could cause malnutrition.

I'm sure we all agree, that not being able to eat what you want...

...would be awful.


SEE ALSO: The Best Books for Speech Therapy Practice

Speech therapy books for targeting multiple goals

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