Dysphagia is a medical term used to describe a swallowing disorder. It is categorised by having a difficulty in chewing and moistening foods in the mouth, or in moving food from the mouth to the stomach. Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) means it takes more time and effort to move food or liquid from your mouth to your stomach. Dysphagia may also be associated with pain. In some cases, swallowing may be impossible.
Occasional difficulty swallowing, which may occur when you eat too fast or don’t chew your food well enough, usually isn’t cause for concern. But persistent dysphagia may indicate a serious medical condition requiring treatment.
Weakness of the mouth and the throat muscles can occur in dysphagia, and may result in food or drinks “going down the wrong way”. This means that the food or drinks go into the lungs instead of the stomach. This can cause chest infections and pneumonia. Modifying food consistency minimises the risk of choking and minimises the risk of food or drink entering the lungs(aspiration). It can also help minimise the feeling of food getting stuck in the Oesophagus. Liquids can be thickened (if recommended by your Speech & language Therapist) and foods are altered in Texture.
Dysphagia can occur at any age, but it is more common in older adults. The causes of swallowing problems vary, and treatment depends on the cause.
We will also have to bear in mind the nutritional content of the food that we are modifying as we do not want to “dilute” the food. Our job as Chef’s is to create food that is safe, appealing and nutritionally complete to people with this condition, as the discomfort of eating tends to put them off their food, so they eat less and unfortunately loose weight!
Dysphagia is more common than you think, 8% of the world’s population have a swallowing difficulty