If you have a swallowing disorder (also called dysphagia), it can be tough to eat and drink normally. This can cause nutritional deficiencies and even increase your risk for accidentally breathing in food or liquids.
Swallowing disorders can happen at different points in the process of swallowing, including:
Swallowing disorders are often caused by damage to the nerves that help control swallowing. This can happen due to:
Swallowing disorders can also be related to oral or esophageal cancer.
If you have a swallowing disorder, you may notice signs or symptoms like:
Over time, not being able to eat and drink normally can lead to weight loss or dehydration. Accidentally breathing in food can cause lung infections like pneumonia.
If you think you may have a swallowing disorder, talk to your doctor. Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and will do a physical exam.
Your doctor may refer you to a speech-language pathologist with special experience diagnosing and treating swallowing disorders. The speech-language pathologist may watch you eat to see where the problem is. You may also need other tests like an endoscopy or a special X-ray taken while you're eating.
Your speech-language pathologist can work with you to build a treatment plan for your disorder. This might include special exercises, changing your diet and/or treating the underlying cause of your disorder.
Our multidisciplinary approach to inpatient and outpatient speech therapy rehab includes expert diagnosis and treatment of speech, language, cognitive and swallowing disorders led by master’s-level, licensed and certified speech pathologists.
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Our multidisciplinary approach to inpatient and outpatient speech therapy rehab includes expert diagnosis and treatment of speech, language, cognitive and swallowing disorders led by master’s-level, licensed and certified speech pathologists.
The thoracic surgeons at Main Line Health offer comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for every type of thoracic condition, including lung and esophageal cancer.
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