The difficulty to swallow, scientifically called dysphagia or impaired swallowing, can have several causes that must always be investigated so that they can then be treated or remedied.
Causes of difficulty swallowing
Some possible causes of difficulty swallowing are:
- Neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke,
- Emotional disorders such as depression or anxiety;
- Esophageal spasm;
- Myasthenia gravis;
- Muscular dystrophy.
The difficulty in swallowing food is a natural change especially in the elderly, due to relaxation and incoordination of the muscles involved in swallowing.
Treatment for difficulty in swallowing
The treatment for difficulty in swallowing should be directed against its cause, however, not always the cause can be solved and for that reason it is indicated that the care with the feeding of this individual is redoubled.
To avoid malnutrition and consecutive choking that can jeopardize the individual's life the food must be pasty to facilitate swallowing avoiding choking with very solid or very liquid foods.
Diet for difficulty swallowing
In preparing the diet for difficulty swallowing, the solid foods should be crushed, adding liquid to achieve the consistency of puree, and boiled after grinding. Cold foods such as yogurt, ice cream and vitamins can relieve pain when swallowing.
If the patient does not have a lot of appetite it is recommended that a single dish containing meat, fish or eggs and vegetables should be offered for lunch and dinner so that all the basic and varied nutrients are offered with a small volume. Good choices are the soups with meat beaten in the blender and the vegetable purees with egg or ground beef.
Useful link:
- What to do if someone chokes
