Findings

Dysphagia

Also written as swallowing disorder, difficulty swallowing, swallowing impairment.

Dysphagia is the medical word for a swallowing problem — trouble moving food, drink, or saliva from the mouth to the stomach.

Dysphagia (say: dis-FAY-juh) is the medical term for trouble swallowing. ASHA, the professional association for speech-language pathologists, describes it as a swallowing disorder that can involve the mouth, the throat (pharynx), the food pipe (esophagus), or the place where the esophagus meets the stomach.

Swallowing takes many muscles and nerves working together in a fast, precise order. Dysphagia means something in that sequence is not working the way it usually does. It looks different from person to person. ASHA lists examples such as coughing while eating, food left in the mouth after a swallow, food or drink coming back up through the nose, and drooling. It also notes that sometimes there are no obvious outward signs at all.

Dysphagia is a description of a problem, not a cause on its own. ASHA lists many possible sources, including damage to the brain or the nerves that control swallowing, conditions affecting the head and neck, infections, and side effects of some medicines. Working out which of these is involved is part of what a swallowing evaluation is for.

A speech-language pathologist looks at swallowing because the path food and liquid take affects nutrition, hydration, comfort, and keeping things out of the airway. Naming what is happening, and where in the swallow it happens, is what allows a team to plan alongside you. What your own report says about you is a conversation to have with your SLP or doctor.