Understanding The Risks Of Swallowing Difficulties

Like many of the other activities that our body performs automatically, swallowing is something that we do not really think that much about. However, if we think back to the last cold we had that was accompanied by swollen glands, we can easily relate to the uncomfortable experience. Now, me might be tempted to think that swallowing problems, or Dysphagia, is simply a nuisance but trouble with swallowing can actually be a predictor of significant health issues. This means it is important to take the symptom seriously.

Although we do it regularly, swallowing is actually a very complex process. It involves 7 nerve groups and more than 50 pairs of muscles all working in concert to move food, drink and saliva from the mouth into the throat while simultaneously preventing us from getting food down the wrong pipe. It also takes place in multiple phases though we never notice this consciously. In fact, the complexity of swallowing makes it one of the most involved activities performed by our nervous system. Yet, on average we will swallow roughly 600 times each day.

What Can Cause Swallowing Difficulties?

Because the act of swallowing is so complex and involves so many participants, there are many ways in which the process of swallowing can break down. The following list gives some of the general types of health problems that can lead to the symptom:

- birth and developmental defects
- infections
- injuries
- degenerative muscle and nerve diseases
- brain disorders
- digestive disorders
- cancer and cancer treatments
- medication
- aging

In looking at this list, we can see that a number of the underlying causes are due to serious health issues. However, it is also important keep in mind that less serious health problems can also cause the symptom. This makes it all the more important to be assessed to determine the cause of the problem.

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