Difficulty in Swallowing (Dysphagia)

An important step in digestion is the movement of food and beverages from the mouth to the stomach. This mechanical process requires the muscles and nerves to work in tandem, pushing the food and beverages down the food pipe into the stomach. When this mechanical process is disrupted to some reason, you will experience difficulty in swallowing, medically called Dysphagia.

Dysphagia makes it painful and challenging to swallow food, water, and even one’s own saliva. In severe cases, movement may be absolutely blocked. When left un left untreated, it leads to have severe consequences including an increased risk of pneumonia, life-threatening choking hazards, and rapid nutritional decline.

Dr. Rajiv Grover, a highly experienced gastroenterologist in Ludhiana, precisely diagnoses and treats the condition and its root causes, helping restore swallowing function and ensuring lasting relief.

No. While Dysphagia can be a symptom of certain cancers, it is frequently caused by non-cancerous conditions listed below. Swallowing difficulties or dysphagia could occur because of one or more of the following reasons:

• • Neurological disorders:
    • Dementia
    • Stroke
    • Brain tumour
    • ALS
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Parkinson’s Disease

• Muscular dysfunction:

• • • Muscular dystrophy
    • Achalasia
    • Esophageal spasms
    • Scleroderma

• Structural abnormalities

• • • GERD
    • Esophageal diverticulum
    • Tumours
    • Esophageal webs

• Physical blockages in the throat

• • • Foreign objects
    • Food

• Other Causes

• • Radiation therapy may destroy tissues in the throat
  • Bacterial infections such as strep throat
  • Neck or head surgery

Dr. Rajiv Grover uses advanced diagnostics like Upper GI Endoscopy to quickly rule out serious concerns and identify the exact cause.

• Sharp or dull pain while swallowing (called Odynophagia)
• Complete inability to swallow
• Coughing/ gagging/ choking upon swallowing
• Feeling of food stuck in chest/ throat
• Frequent heartburn or regurgitation
• Hoarseness or changes in voice quality

One-off incidents of difficulty in swallowing may not be serious. However, if you frequently experience dysphagia symptoms, you must see a doctor. Why? Because if left untreated, dysphagia can lead to rapid weight loss and nutritional deficiencies, severe dehydration, drooling, and life-threatening choking hazards. Chronic dysphagia can also cause aspiration pneumonia as food may enter the windpipe and cause bacterial infections in the lung.

If you experience the following red flags, you must visit your gastroenterologist immediately and get yourself checked:

• Unexplained, rapid weight loss
• Inability to swallow saliva or constant drooling
• Recurrent chest infections or pneumonia
• Frequent coughing, gagging or choking episodes
• Frequent regurgitation or vomiting
• Breathing difficulties or severe distress during meals

Dr. Rajiv Grover, a highly respected endoscopy specialist in the Ludhiana region, leverages one or more specialized tests to move beyond surface-level symptoms and get to the core of your swallowing problem. While an X-Ray and/or CT or MRI scan maybe initially be ordered to rule out structural issues and tumours, Dr. Grover leverages one or more of these advanced procedures:

• Upper GI Endoscopy to check the lining of the food pipe for tumours, blockages, and inflammation
• High-Resolution Esophageal Manometry (HREM) for mapping muscle coordination in the esophagus.
• Fibre-optic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) for viewing the throat directly while you eat or drink.
• Dynamic Swallowing Study to understand the real-time movement of food.

6.     How is difficulty in swallowing treated? Is surgery necessary?

No, surgery is rarely the first option for treating Dysphagia. Surgical correction is used only in severe cases of anatomical defects or tumours that cannot be managed through advanced endoscopic procedures.

Dr. Rajiv Grover, a leading digestive disorder specialist in Ludhiana, prioritizes a tiered, tailored approach to treatment, focusing on restoring swallowing function and ensuring lasting relief with the least invasive methods possible:

• • Specialized Medications: Treating underlying causes like GERD (Acid Reflux) or neurological muscle spasms.
  • Specialized medications to treat symptoms and/or underlying causes (GERD) or muscle spasms.
  • Lifestyle and dietary modifications such as posture management, changing food textures, and so on.

• Advanced therapeutic endoscopic procedures:

• • Esophageal Stricture Dilatation to gently stretch narrowed food pipe
  • Esophageal Self-Expandable Metallic Stents (SEMS) to keep the esophagus open in case of severe obstruction

Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), a scarless procedure, to treat motility disorders like Achalasia