What Risks Are Increased Due To Dysphagia?

• Malnutrition, weight loss and dehydration. Dysphagia can make it difficult to take in enough nourishment and fluids.
• Aspiration pneumonia. Food or liquid entering the airway during attempts to swallow can cause aspiration pneumonia as a result of the food introducing bacteria into the lungs.
• Choking.

What 3 risks are increased due to dysphagia?

• Coughing and choking. If you have dysphagia, there’s a risk of food, drink or saliva going down the “wrong way”. …
• Aspiration pneumonia. …
• Dysphagia in children.

What are the consequences of dysphagia?

Consequences of dysphagia include

malnutrition and dehydration, aspiration pneumonia, compromised general health, chronic lung disease, choking

, and even death. Adults with dysphagia may also experience disinterest, reduced enjoyment, embarrassment, and/or isolation related to eating or drinking.

What is the most significant risk when feeding the client with dysphagia?

WHY: Aspiration (the misdirection of oropharyngeal secretions or gastric contents into the larynx and lower respiratory tract) is common in older adults with dysphagia and can lead to

aspiration pneumonia

. In fact, the risk of pneumonia is three times higher in patients with dysphagia (Hebert et al., 2016).

Who is at risk for dysphagia?

The following are risk factors for dysphagia: Aging. Due to natural aging and normal wear and tear on the esophagus as well as a greater risk of certain conditions, such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease,

older adults

are at higher risk of swallowing difficulties. But dysphagia isn’t considered a normal sign of aging.

What is the most common cause of dysphagia?

Acid reflux disease

is the most common cause of dysphagia. People with acid reflux may have problems in the esophagus, such as an ulcer, a stricture (narrowing of the esophagus), or less likely a cancer causing difficulty swallowing.

What are 4 complications of dysphagia?

The most common complications of dysphagia are

aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition and dehydration

; other possible complications, such as intellectual and body development deficit in children with dysphagia, or emotional impairment and social restriction have not been studied thoroughly.

What are the stages of dysphagia?

• Oral preparatory phase. During this phase, you chew your food to a size, shape, and consistency that can be swallowed. …
• Pharyngeal phase. Here, the muscles of your pharynx contract in sequence. …
• Esophageal phase. The muscles in your esophagus contract in sequence to move the bolus toward your stomach.

How does dysphagia affect quality of life?

Patients with dysphagia could recover within several weeks. However, prolonged dysphagia can

cause severe comorbidities

, such as pneumonia, dehydration, malnutrition, and even death. It adversely affects patients’ quality of life and mental health. And dietary modification are required.

What increases risk of aspiration?

The most commonly cited factors were

decreased level of consciousness

, supine position, presence of a nasogastric tube, tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation, bolus or intermittent feeding delivery methods, high-risk disease and injury conditions, and advanced age.

How does dysphagia cause aspiration?

What causes aspiration? Aspiration from dysphagia is caused

when the muscles in your throat don’t work normally

. This lets food or drink enter the trachea when you swallow. This can happen as food goes down when you swallow.

How do you assess a patient with dysphagia?

1. X-ray with a contrast material (barium X-ray). …
2. Dynamic swallowing study. …
3. A visual examination of your esophagus (endoscopy). …
4. Fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). …
5. Esophageal muscle test (manometry). …
6. Imaging scans.

What patients are at risk for aspiration?

• Advanced age. …
• Weak or impaired swallowing, which may result from stroke-related dysphagia.
• Poor ciliary transport, as with smokers.
• Weakened ability to clear airway secretions.
• Dementia-related swallowing disorders. …
• Emergency surgery.

How do you fix dysphagia?

1. Exercises for your swallowing muscles. If you have a problem with your brain, nerves, or muscles, you may need to do exercises to train your muscles to work together to help you swallow. …
2. Changing the foods you eat. …
3. Dilation. …
4. Endoscopy. …
5. Surgery. …
6. Medicines.

Is esophageal stricture life threatening?

Most symptomatic strictures require dilation to fix the problem. Many patients need more than one dilation over time to keep the esophagus wide enough for food to pass through. In rare cases,

severe and untreated esophageal strictures can cause perforations (small rips)

, which can be life-threatening.

What is the difference between dysphagia and dysphasia?

Dysphagia was defined as

difficulty swallowing any liquid

(including saliva) or solid material. Dysphasia was defined as speech disorders in which there was impairment of the power of expression by speech, writing, or signs or impairment of the power of comprehension of spoken or written language.

Does dysphagia go away on its own?

Dysphagia is a another medical name for difficulty swallowing. This symptom isn’t always indicative of a medical condition. In fact,

this condition may be temporary and go away on its own

.

What is oral phase dysphagia?

During the first stage, called the oral phase,

the tongue collects the food or liquid, making it ready for swallowing

. The tongue and jaw move solid food around in the mouth so it can be chewed. Chewing makes solid food the right size and texture to swallow by mixing the food with saliva.

Are there 5 main types of dysphagia?

A more specific classification categorizes the cause of dysphagia according to location:

preesophageal or oropharyngeal dysphagia, esophageal or transport dysphagia, postesophageal or esophagogastric dysphagia, and paraesophageal or extrinsic dysphagia

.

What are the 2 types of dysphagia?

• mouth or throat – known as oropharyngeal dysphagia.
• oesophagus (the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach) – known as oesophageal dysphagia.

Who is responsible for identifying the signs of dysphagia?

Diagnosis of dysphagia

Swallow study — this is usually administered by

a speech therapist

. They test different consistencies of food and liquid to see which cause difficulty. They may also do a video swallow test to see where the problem is. Barium swallow test — the patient swallows a barium-containing liquid.

Can you live with dysphagia?

Living with dysphagia isn’t just a medical risk, but can also

hamper one’s quality of life and mental health

.

What is the best medicine for dysphagia?

Diltiazem

: Can aid in esophageal contractions and motility, especially in the disorder known as the nutcracker esophagus. Cystine-depleting therapy with cysteamine: Treatment of choice for patients with dysphagia due to pretransplantation or posttransplantation cystinosis.

When should I be worried about trouble swallowing?

You should see

your doctor

to determine the cause of your swallowing difficulties. Call a doctor right away if you’re also having trouble breathing or think something might be stuck in your throat. If you have sudden muscle weakness or paralysis and can’t swallow at all, call 911 or go to the emergency room.

What does Swal QoL stand for?

The

Swallowing Quality-of-Life questionnaire

(SWAL-QoL) is a 44-item disease-specific scale that is distributed into 10 subscales and the Symptom scale [11]. The SWAL-QoL is considered the gold standard for assessing HRQoL in oropharyngeal dysphagia [12].

What does aspiration risk mean?

Aspiration is

when something enters your airway or lungs by accident

. It may be food, liquid, or some other material. This can cause serious health problems, such as pneumonia. Aspiration can happen when you have trouble swallowing normally. Trouble swallowing is called dysphagia.

How do you assess risk of aspiration?

Assess level of consciousness. The primary risk factor of aspiration is decreased level of consciousness.

Monitor respiratory rate, depth, and effort

. Note any signs of aspiration such as dyspnea, cough, cyanosis, wheezing, or fever.

What lung is most likely to be affected with aspiration of fluids and why?

On the chest x-ray, the

right lower lobe

is most frequently involved. Patients who have aspirated while upright may have bilateral lower lobe involvement.

Is aspiration an emergency?

Aspiration of foreign material into the lungs can represent

a medical emergency

requiring timely interventions to assure a favorable outcome. Establishment of a patent airway and maintenance of adequate oxygenation are the initial requirements for successful treatment of all types of aspiration emergencies.

Where is aspiration most likely to occur?

The right lower lobe

is the most common site for aspiration because of its vertical orientation. Individuals who aspirate while upright may have bilateral lower lobe infiltrates. Those lying in the left lateral decubitus position may have left-sided infiltrates.

What is aspiration and explain the risk factors involved in respiration?

Aspiration is

when something you swallow “goes down the wrong way” and enters your airway or lungs

. It can also happen when something goes back into your throat from your stomach. But your airway isn’t completely blocked, unlike with choking. People who have a hard time swallowing are more likely to aspirate.

Is aspiration the same as dysphagia?

Dysphagia is a word that describes any problem a person may have with swallowing. Swallowing problems can lead to

aspiration

. Aspiration describes a condition when food or fluids that should go into the stomach go into the lungs instead.

Does aspiration cause death?

Aspiration occurs when foreign material is inhaled into the airway. Causes of death include

asphyxiation due to a blocked airway and irritation or infection of the respiratory tract due to inhaled material

, or aspiration pneumonia, which will be the primary focus of this segment.

How fast does dysphagia progress?

Benign strictures typically progress slowly (

over a period of months to years

) and are associated with minimal weight loss. Malignant esophageal strictures usually cause rapidly progressing dysphagia (over a period of weeks to months) with substantial weight loss. 5.

How is dysphagia treated in the elderly?

Patients can be treated for oropharyngeal dysphagia by using

compensatory interventions

, including behavioral changes, oral care, dietary modification, or rehabilitative interventions such as exercises and therapeutic oral trials.

Can dysphagia be caused by anxiety?

But difficulty swallowing is

a common anxiety symptom

, especially during anxiety attacks. It’s important to note that trouble swallowing may be a sign of other disorders, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Can dysphagia be psychological?

Dysphagia patients displaying symptoms indicative of depression, isolation and denial of their condition can

sometimes experience psychological, social and physical damage

.

What medications can cause dysphagia?

Drug classes that may contribute to difficulty swallowing include

neuroleptics

, chemotherapy agents, antihypertensives, tricyclic antidepressants, anticholinergics, antihistamines, antiparkinsonian agents, and other drugs that impair saliva production.