Swallowing difficulties / dysphagia
Dysphagia is defined as difficulty in swallowing. It is usually associated with either difficulties caused by problems with the mouth or throat (oropharyngeal dysphagia) or problems with the gullet (oesophageal dysphagia).
Some signs and symptoms of oropharyngeal dysphagia include difficulty controlling food in the mouth, coughing, choking, aspiration pneumonia, unexplained weight loss, gurgling after swallowing, food getting stuck in the throat and regurgitation of food.
Dysphagia can prevent people from enjoying meals or social occasions; it can even lead to malnutrition or dehydration.
There is a spectrum of possible causes of dysphagia, which would be explored by the consultant.
Treatment depends on the underlying problem causing the dysphagia. These treatments can include:
Medication
Surgery
Speech and language therapy
Management of the consistency of food
Alternative forms of feeding
Mr Repanos has considerable expertise in the assessment and diagnosis of dysphagia and the underlying condition, together with the ability to treat a wide variety of causes of swallowing difficulties.
