Causes of swallowing difficulties

Swallowing difficulties – also known as dysphagia – can occur in the context of many different diseases, so they can have many different causes. These are not always organic in nature, but can also be psychological or psychosomatic. The younger the patients with swallowing problems and the more changeable the symptoms, the more likely it is that a psychological/psychosomatic genesis can be assumed.

Nevertheless, every occurrence of swallowing problems must be carefully clarified in order to exclude all possible organic causes and ultimately to choose the right therapy. Often swallowing problems do not occur alone, but are accompanied by other complaints such as sore throat, pharynx, chest or stomach pain, heartburn, hoarseness and coughing, regurgitation of food residues or mucus, bad breath, speech disorders, B-symptoms (fever, night sweats, weight loss) or shortness of breath. Similarly, swallowing difficulties do not necessarily have to be painful, but can just as well occur without any pain in the form of a difficult passage of food and fluids through the throat and esophagus. Depending on the location of the swallowing problems, they are divided into oropharyngeal – concerning the throat – and esophageal – concerning the esophagus.

Physical causes

  • Aganglionosis: A congenital lack of nerve cells in the wall of the esophagus (aganglionosis), so that the esophagus is spastically contracted for a long time and makes it difficult for food to pass through.
  • Esophageal atresia: An embryonic malformation that causes the esophagus to be disconnected from the stomach or severely narrowed.

Traumatic causes

One of the “traumatic causes” of swallowing problems is the fracture of the hyoid bone caused by, for example, sports accidents (especially in martial arts). The hyoid bone is essential for the smooth flow of the swallowing act and can lead to problems in the swallowing mechanism due to instability. But also the accidental swallowing of foreign bodies (e.g. bones, bones, dentures, in children also toy parts etc. ), which may be in the esophagus and thus block the passage, can lead to swallowing problems.