difficulties swallowing

difficulties swallowing or medical Dysphagia can arise from a wide variety of reasons, which can be organic, bacterial or psychological. It must be clarified what the causes are. This usually requires a visit to an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT). Therapy must be based on the cause of the difficulty swallowing.

What are difficulty swallowing?

Momentary difficulty swallowing a cold with a sore throat are the most common swallowing difficulties.

Difficulty swallowing is defined as the difficulty in swallowing normally. Difficulty swallowing can be caused by pain in the throat or other circumstances.

They can be acute or chronic. Organs located in the throat area, but also bacteria or viruses can be involved in triggering the difficulty swallowing.

Momentary difficulty swallowing a cold with a sore throat are the most common swallowing difficulties. In the case of painful swallowing difficulties, a doctor is usually consulted much sooner than in those without pain.

causes

It must be clarified whether the difficulty swallowing was caused by an acute sore throat or other circumstances. Psychological reasons can also lead to swallowing difficulties, fears of suffocation and intensive body observation.

In most cases, however, the swallowing difficulties are organic. They can be caused by cysts or tonsillitis, mouth rot, throat infections or larynx infections.

The lymph nodes or the thyroid gland can be involved in swallowing difficulties. Inflamed salivary glands, small injuries in the oral cavity with subsequent inflammation or an abscess in the floor of the mouth can trigger swallowing difficulties. A disease of the vocal cords or the tongue is also possible.

Fungi or scarlet fever can also cause difficulty swallowing. A special case is the so-called angio or Quincke edema, which is triggered by an allergic reaction. All possible allergens can cause such swallowing problems. In children, epiglottitis, an inflammation of the larynx, is known to be the cause of difficulty swallowing.

With them in particular, careless eating, an accidentally swallowed insect or the unobserved ingestion of cleaning agents and the like can easily lead to burns or chemical burns. Such swallowing difficulties are extremely painful and require immediate countermeasures.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines for sore throats and difficulty swallowing

Diseases with this symptom

• cold
• Burn (scalding)
• Narrowing of the esophagus
• Esophagitis

• Tonsillitis
• Sore throat
• Mycosis
• Chemical burn

• Mouth rot
• Laryngitis
• Scarlet fever
• Esophageal cancer

Diagnosis & course

The diagnosis of swallowing difficulties and the subsequent course always depend on the basic problem diagnosed. First of all, an attempt will be made to track down the difficulty swallowing by interviewing the patient.

Then you have the opportunity to feel the outside of the neck for swelling. This enables the glands on the neck to be involved. A goiter can suggest a thyroid disease as the cause of the difficulty swallowing. The swelling of the glands, on the other hand, indicates an inflammatory process rather than causing the difficulty swallowing.

It is also important to look into the throat. Visible redness, swelling or plaque can narrow down the cause of the difficulty swallowing. If necessary, one can gain more detailed information about the cause of the difficulty swallowing by taking a smear or a look into the deep throat.

Swelling should be taken into account, which could aggravate the difficulty swallowing or even cause suffocation. Clarification is particularly useful if you have long-lasting swallowing problems. Panendoscopy under anesthesia may be necessary.

Complications

Complications that can occur with difficulty swallowing include food intake. If the underlying condition is left untreated, it can lead to greatly reduced fluid and food intake. This in turn is accompanied by unwanted weight loss.

The appetite is decreasing, especially in older people. Difficulty swallowing can therefore lead to a complete refusal to eat. It is not uncommon for the general condition to deteriorate due to insufficient intake of vital substances. On the other hand, the act of swallowing can lead to the food consumed being swallowed.

In the worst cases, inhaling liquid and food particles results in aspiration pneumonia, i.e. pneumonia due to the contents of the stomach in the lungs. Other complications can include ear and sore throat. The reason for this is the cartilage tube that leads from the throat to the ear. By swallowing, the person balances the pressure between these areas, among other things.

If, on the other hand, the swallowing activity is disturbed, the pressure on the ears can lead to pain in the entire head area - similar to what is the case with a strong cold. The channel responsible is often swollen and pressure cannot be equalized. Viruses and bacteria can also get stuck in the ear. Inflammation is the result.

When should you go to the doctor?

Swallowing difficulties are only a case for the doctor if they either have an unclear cause, persist for a very long time, or are so severe that they massively hinder the absorption of fluid and food. With a cold, most people have more or less severe difficulty swallowing. They are normal and can be easily overcome with herbal teas and throat drops, as well as oily foods.

If such an infection lasts longer than usual or worsens within a short time, it is advisable to consult a doctor. This can determine the type of triggering germs and initiate the correct treatment. Children should see a doctor sooner rather than later because their immune system is weaker than that of an adult. If, on the other hand, swallowing problems occur without an infection, the cause must be determined by a doctor.

In these cases we are mostly talking about the so-called "globe feeling". The person concerned has the feeling that there is a foreign body in the throat that makes swallowing uncomfortable or even leads to frequent swallowing. The reason for this may actually be an enlargement of the surrounding organs like the thyroid gland. Other organs or, in the worst case, tumors can also be behind swallowing difficulties without a sore throat. The diagnosis must be made by a doctor.

Doctors & therapists in your area

Treatment & Therapy

The treatment of swallowing problems is usually the responsibility of the ear, nose and throat doctor. In cases of cold-related swallowing problems, most people are familiar with home remedies that can help alleviate the symptoms. But if the swallowing difficulties are psychological, you have to get to the bottom of the cause.

These types of swallowing disorders will get better after conversation or behavior therapy. Thyroid diseases with difficulty swallowing require internal treatment, sometimes surgery is necessary.

Most types of difficulty swallowing can be treated with drugs or surgery. Difficulty swallowing caused by wasp stings urgently needs emergency medical attention, as there is a risk of suffocation due to severe swelling or allergic reactions.

Outlook & forecast

Most swallowing difficulties do not need to be treated by a doctor and will go away on their own. They often occur with a cold or the flu and are a common symptom. The difficulty swallowing disappears after a few days and does not lead to further complaints or complications.

However, if the difficulty swallowing persists for a long time and is associated with severe pain, a doctor must be consulted.In these cases it can be, for example, tonsillitis, which must definitely be treated by a doctor.

Due to the difficulty swallowing, it is no longer possible to eat and drink normally. However, the patient should try to eat and drink a lot in order to keep the body functioning properly. A tonsillitis can be treated relatively well and does not lead to any further complaints. Surgery may be needed to remove the tonsils.

Children in particular often have difficulty swallowing because the tonsils are not fully grown. These complaints are common too. The person concerned can drink tea or take candies for the throat to relieve the difficulty swallowing. Milk and honey also help against swallowing difficulties and lead to a positive course of the disease.

You can find your medication here

➔ Medicines for sore throats and difficulty swallowing

prevention

Home remedies ↵ for a sore throat As a preventive measure against swallowing difficulties, you can protect yourself from colds and always keep your drinks covered in summer. Drinks that are too hot can be avoided. Parental care can protect children from swallowing difficulties caused by chemical burns and burns in the mouth.

However, there is hardly anything that can be done preventively against thyroid disease, vocal cord problems or cysts in the throat. Goiter, oral rot or Zenker's diverticulum develop without being actively involved.

You can do that yourself

A number of home remedies can help if you have difficulty swallowing. Affected people should generally drink enough fluids so that the mucous membranes stay moist and do not become infected any further. The room climate can be improved with a humidifier and regular ventilation. It is also important to strengthen the immune system.

A balanced diet high in vitamins C and E helps with chronic swallowing problems. Garlic, ginger and other plants with antibacterial and antiseptic properties are particularly effective. Zinc tablets and elm bark help with swelling in the throat, but also marshmallow root and echinacea, which are available in the form of tablets and drops. Warm milk with honey, a lemon cure or warm soups have also proven effective. Herbal teas made from thyme or sage can improve swallowing difficulties and are a suitable accompaniment to relaxation and bed rest.

In cold weather, the neck should be protected by warm clothing and a scarf. Warm compresses help with inflammation in the throat. If you have a cold, we recommend using table salt, among other things. Gargling with salt water removes salt from the mucous membranes and thus loosens the mucus responsible for the difficulty swallowing.