The swallowing process
Swallowing of vital and important processes that occur to living organisms, through which the food is transferred from the mouth to the stomach, and after swallowing, mechanical and chemical processes in the digestive system, to exit the waste from the body through the anus. The swallowing starts from the moment the food is introduced into the mouth, and the tongue makes voluntary movements to push and pass the food. As a result of the contraction of the muscles in the tongue, the food is pushed to the back of the tongue. The food is pushed towards the pharynx. The food passes quickly to the esophagus, and the esophagus relaxes. The upper sphincter allows the food to pass through and closes immediately as soon as swallowing occurs and the worm moves to the esophagus. This is a wave of constriction and expansion to pass food to the end of the esophagus. At the end of the esophagus, the lower sphincter relaxes to pass food to the stomach, Hold tightly to keep the esophagus and food from returning to the esophagus. Difficulty swallowing is a difficulty in passing food and fluids from the mouth to the stomach. Difficulty swallowing is a challenge for those who are infected. It occurs at any stage of swallowing. Difficulty swallowing may be not serious and is common. Swallowing.
Difficulty swallowing
The causes of difficulty swallowing occur disorders in the swallowing stages may be simple causes, for example there may be problems with the mouth such as teeth or dentures and faces the patient through the difficulty of cutting food to start the process of chewing and passing, and may be the result of colds and the incidence of sore throat and pain when swallowing The causative is temporary and the inflammation symptom disappears. But may occur in the mouth and pharynx some neuromuscular diseases, which in turn lead to weakness in the muscles and increase the risk of exposure to the patient and the cough when swallowing and this leads to the entry of food and drink to the bronchi and even the lungs, which expose them to repeated infections and get setbacks in the respiratory system of the patient, These include Parkinson’s disease, MS, and post-infection polio may cause difficulty swallowing. Sometimes, nerve damage occurs as a result of head and spinal injuries to direct injuries that cause swallowing, or the result of strokes according to the area where the stroke occurred.
There are other difficulties that are caused by the esophagus, which has a prominent role in passing food to the stomach. A problem with the lower sphincter means that the food returns to the pharynx again because it does not relax to pass the food, and the esophagus may also become damaged due to acidic acid reflux, Because of ulcers and damage at the end of the esophagus and the beginning of the gastric gate, the esophageal spasm results due to recurrent infections, as well as an obstruction in the esophagus or even a cancerous tumor obstructs the swallowing process. Elderly and children of age groups prone to difficulty swallowing as well. The culprit may be the result of stress and the feeling that there is something in the throat, or even the tension of drinking a medicine pill.
Feeling choking, tightness in the throat and chest, feeling that something is stuck to the throat, or even swallowing saliva from the mouth due to the difficulty of swallowing repeatedly, or feeling that there is a lump in the throat blocking the swallowing course, as well as the patient’s loss of appetite and loss of weight, If you are not able to swallow, you should check with your otolaryngologist, who performs the necessary tests to diagnose the condition. Some cases may require a gastroenterologist and a neurologist to get to the problem. Tests to be used include flexible laryngoscopy to see beyond the back of the tongue, as well as x-ray work by taking a barium dose to give a clear picture of the esophagus and other tests that the doctor uses.
The importance of speeding up the treatment of the problem is the first step in the treatment. Neglecting the problem leads to aggravation and other complications. In order to treat the difficulty of swallowing, the doctor will prescribe medicines that slow down acid secretion, as well as antacids, muscle relaxants and other medicines. Suitable depending on the situation.
For example, to refrain from eating before bedtime, as well as weight loss, changing the quality of food that may cause stomach acidity, and taking the patient to a healthy sleep position such as keeping the head high at bedtime, Esophageal reflux. There may be surgical interventions due to narrowness of the esophagus and the need to expand it. Psychotherapy may have a healthy effect on the patient to co-exist with him or even to treat a problem that may be psychological and prevent swallowing.