Overview

Causes

Esophageal dysphagia is caused by:

  • Conditions that narrow the food pipe, such as:
    • Esophageal stricture
    • Esophageal cancer
  • Conditions that cause problems with how the food pipe works, such as:
    • Inflammation—esophagitis
    • Achalasia—food or drink does not move toward the stomach
    • Damage to nerves

Risk Factors

Things that raise the risk of esophageal dysphagia are:

  • Any of the problems above
  • Injury or illness of nervous system such as:
    • Stroke
    • Parkinson disease
    • Multiple sclerosis
    • Huntington disease
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
  • Cancer treatment—current or past
  • Past surgery
  • Premature birth
  • Certain medicine

SymptomsandDiagnosis

Symptoms

Symptoms of esophageal dysphagia are:

  • Problems or pain with swallowing
  • A feeling of food being stuck
  • Food comes back up
  • Drooling, coughing, or choking
  • Wheezing
  • Hoarse voice
  • Problems getting enough fluids or nutrition

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about symptoms and past health. A physical exam will be done. The doctor will run tests to find the cause of swallowing problems. Tests may include:

  • A test to look for problems while swallowing
  • An upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy—a scope to view the throat from the back of the mouth to the stomach
  • A barium swallow—x-ray that uses a special dye to view the throat
  • Tests on the muscles of the food pipe

Treatments

Treatment

Treatment depends on the cause. Options may be

  • Managing symptoms with eating habits, such as:
  • Chewing food well
  • Staying upright while eating
  • Not hurrying during meals
  • Not eating later at night
  • Diet changes such as:
    • Not eating foods that cause problems
    • Eating softer or pureed foods
    • Using a feeding tube if needed
  • Esophageal dilation—to make the food pipe wider
  • Surgery—to treat GERD or remove something that is blocking the food pipe
  • Speech therapy—to learn how to swallow without choking
  • Medicines—to treat specific causes, relax muscles, or reduce acid

Prevention

There are no known guidelines to prevent esophageal dysphagia.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Edits to original content made by Denver Health.