Oropharyngeal dysphagia, defined as difficulty swallowing, is a symptom that occurs frequently in many patients with neurological diseases and in the elderly. This pathology can lead to malnutrition and dehydration, as the patient does not ingest the necessary calories and water. In addition, food can be diverted to the respiratory tract, resulting in a high risk of pneumonia and a high mortality rate. The patient affected by this pathology may present choking, coughing, sensation of food retention and/or inadequate food progression during meals. On many occasions, sufferers are not aware of their dysfunction, as a consequence it is diagnosed late and treatment is not carried out in time.
How is it diagnosed?
To determine the cause of the pathology it is necessary to study the patient’s clinical history, perform a physical examination and a videoendoscopy of the swallowing. This test evaluates swallowing in real time with foods of different consistency and volume. In addition to these tests, the patient may need additional tests performed in other departments such as barium radiography or esophageal manometry.
What treatments are currently available?
There are different treatment strategies that can be combined depending on the patient’s pathology. Some patients may benefit from targeted swallowing rehabilitation to improve their deficits, including neuromuscular praxias, oral sensory augmentation strategies, postural changes and swallowing maneuvers.
There is also transcutaneous electrical stimulation therapy and various surgical techniques for those patients who are good candidates for them.