When you swallow a sandwich between two meetings, when you talk while eating or when you don’t chew enough: it happens that a food remains “blocked” in the throat (or at least that you feel this sensation). If this difficulty in swallowing is not extremely serious, it should nevertheless push you to consult if it occurs repeatedly.
Discomfort when swallowing
Known as “dysphagia”, this difficulty in swallowing refers to difficulty in the progression of the food bolus between the mouth and the stomach. It can be accompanied by other symptoms (sore throat, cough, choking, weight loss, vomiting, etc.) and is more common among the elderly (although it affects, overall, nearly 15% of the population).
Depending on where the discomfort is felt, we speak of:
- Upper or oropharyngeal dysphagia : “The discomfort may be in the mouth, because the person cannot propel the food backwards after chewing it,” Doctor Ihab Atallah, ENT doctor, explained to us in a previous interview. “There may also be a problem with the pharynx and the swallowing mechanism, a problem with the passage of food between the pharynx and the esophagus, that is to say at the level of the upper sphincter of this conduit, or even a problem with the progression of the food bolus, whether liquid or solid”;
- Lower or esophageal dysphagia: “When the person swallows, they pass correctly through the esophageal conduit but start to get stuck further down.”
Good to know: The causes of dysphagia can be functional or organic. “In almost all cases, an organic or functional pathological mechanism is involved,” confirms the French National Society of Gastroenterology (SNFGE).
Simple dysphagia or more serious health problem? Dr Gérald Kierzek warns
Many reasons can explain this sudden difficulty in swallowing, whether it is a simple blockage of the food passage (dysphagia) or a swallowing disorder (greater difficulty swallowing). Nevertheless, “it can reveal various problems: some benign, others more serious“, warns Dr Gérald Kierzek, medical director of True Medical.
- Thus, in the case of swallowing disorders (difficulty swallowing or eating errors), the causes can be neurological (stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, etc.) or even muscular (myasthenia gravis, polymyositis);
- In the case of dysphagia (blockage of the progression of the food bolus or even liquids), the causes appear to be more “mechanical”: “esophagitis, cancers (esophagus, throat), stenoses, gastroesophageal reflux“, the doctor further specifies.
If in doubt, and faced with the following symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor.
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Persistent pain or discomfort when swallowing;
- Unexplained weight loss, malnutrition or dehydration;
- Blockage or feeling of obstruction in the throat or esophagus;
- Frequent coughing or choking while eating;
- Progressive symptoms (worsening difficulty swallowing, etc.), which may suggest serious causes (cancer, neurological diseases).
Your doctor may perform a digestive endoscopy (gastric fiberoscopy) – “which is the key examination in cases of dysphagia to eliminate any mechanical blockage”concludes the medical director of True Medical.