Being able to swallow is something everyone assumes is going to occur on a regular basis, as it is a simple act, and we swallow without ever thinking about how the act occurs. Actually, more than 50 sets of muscles and thousands of nerves participate in the process of transporting the food you consume from your mouth to your stomach. Three stages are involved in swallowing: chewing, to make sure that the particles of food are small enough to be easily swallowed; moving the food to the oesophagus (the food pipe) as opposed to the trachea (the windpipe); and finally moving the food from the oesophagus into the stomach.

When there is an error in this process and it becomes painful or hard to swallow food or liquids, the medical term for this condition is dysphagia. This is a disease that is normally triggered by another underlying health issue and is especially common among individuals who have had a stroke or in older persons. When a dysphagia patient has unforeseen complications, this can have a serious impact on the time it takes to recuperate and to be rehabilitated.

There is more than one type of dysphagia; Oropharyngeal (or higher dysphagia) is a type of dysphagia in which the problem occurs in the area of the throat or inside the mouth. Oropharyngeal dysphagia, which occurs when nerves and muscles that are in charge of swallowing are damaged, is the most difficult to treat and can lead to complications down the road. Damage to the oesophagus causes oesophageal or lower dysphagia to occur. This is normally caused by some kind of blockage or vexation, and this kind of dysphagia is more easily treated, and usually heals, when the patient undergoes physical therapy or, in certain cases, surgery.

Dysphagia patients may experience several uncomfortable symptoms that include pain when swallowing, regurgitating food after eating, coughing while eating food, choking while eating food, or a feeling that there is food stuck in the throat. In very serious cases, patients discover that they no longer have the ability to swallow at all. The medical remedy will naturally be decided by the main reason for the difficulty, but will vary from possible surgery to a physical therapy regime. In certain situations, for example in cases where the swallowing reflex or the interior of the throat or mouth have been injured, patients might need to learn how to swallow all over again or else learn brand new ways of swallowing. In other situations, the patient will have to use a feeding tube in order to prevent dehydration and nutritional problems.

Usually dysphagia in stroke patients is neurological in nature, as damage has occurred to the area of the brain or nervous system that regulates swallowing and the reflexes associated with that action. These patients experience difficulty with swallowing because their bodies have literally 'forgotten' how to swallow. Various statistics estimate the occurrence of stroke dysphagia - some suggest it occurs every other case while other research suggests it occurs up to 73% of stoke patients. Aside from the apparent complications due to hydration and nutrition that occur as a result of this kind of dysphagia, stroke patients who have this disorder will also learn that they are prone to risks from other similar types of complications. The larynx may not close correctly in a patient who suffers from oropharyngeal dysphagia, which permits food to access the respiratory system and the lungs. When this happens, we say that the food has gone down the wrong pipe. This can eventually become an infection in the lungs, and it is common for dysphagic stroke patients to contract aspiration pneumonia (pneumonia that is a result of food that has been aspirated or breathed in), an illness that can be deadly. Consequently, it is crucial that stroke and dysphagia are diagnosed as soon as possible so that the proper procedures can be applied in order to prohibit food from getting into the lungs. There are other diseases that can cause neurological dysphagia, such as MS and cerebral palsy.

Dysphagia of the oesophagus is usually not related to the neurological system and can occur due to an obstruction inside of the mouth or the oesophagus. Swallowing problems can occur as a result of conditions like mouth cancer or cleft lip or palate. There are other conditions like gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (or GORD), in which the acid from the stomach travels to the oesophagus, causing scar tissue that can turn into dysphagia. Tuberculosis, herpes and other illnesses that need radiation therapy can likewise become scar tissue that forms near the oesophagus, making it almost impossible, and extremely painful, to swallow.

1 out of every 100,000 people are affected by achalasia, a type of muscular dysphagia. It is a disease that lasts throughout a person's life for which there is no cure, but there are several different types of available options for treatment. This happens when the bottom two thirds of the oesophagus becomes unable to move food into the area of the stomach, due to its stiffness. The condition begins at a slow pace, and it is common that this condition is not diagnosed until it reaches an advanced stage. Some of the medical symptoms are difficulties in swallowing, pain in the chest, heartburn, and hiccups. There are several different types of treatment available to the patient, including medications that help the stomach muscles to relax, which allows food to enter without any obstructions.