On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

If you have a swallowing disorder, you may have difficulty or pain when swallowing. Some people cannot swallow at all. Others may have trouble swallowing liquids, foods, or saliva. This makes it hard to eat. Often, it can be difficult to take in enough calories and fluids to nourish your body.

Anyone can have a swallowing disorder, but it is more common in older adults. It often happens because of other conditions, including:

• Nervous system disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and cerebral palsy
• Problems with your esophagus, including GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
• Stroke
• Head or spinal cord injury
• Cancer of the head, neck, or esophagus

Medicines can help some people, while others may need surgery. Swallowing treatment with a speech-language pathologist can help. You may find it helpful to change your diet or hold your head or neck in a certain way when you eat. In very serious cases, people may need feeding tubes.

NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Start Here

• Dysphagia (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• Dysphagia (Difficulty Swallowing) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Barium Swallow (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Dysphagia Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Tailored Barium Swallow Study (National Jewish Health)
• Upper GI Endoscopy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Swallowing Problems (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Globus (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)

Specifics

• Oromandibular Dystonia (Dystonia Medical Research Foundation)
• Trouble Swallowing After Stroke (Dysphagia) (American Stroke Association)

Genetics

• Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

• Swallowing (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Deglutition Disorders (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Transcutaneous electrical stimulation in chronic post-stroke oropharyngeal dysphagia: pooled biomechanical and...
• Article: Food passageway-related sequelae in the RefluxStop prospective multicenter trial: patient-centric outcomes...
• Article: Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on swallowing improvement and cortical...
• Swallowing Disorders -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Your Digestive System and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• Find an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist) (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Patient Handouts

• Esophageal manometry (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Painful swallowing (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Swallowing difficulty (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Swallowing problems (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish