Pain when swallowing is otherwise odynophagy. Swallowing pain appears most often in the chest, in the sternum. Patients also often complain of a sore throat when swallowing saliva. Odinophagy can be a symptom of many diseases, often very serious ones, so never underestimate any disorders related to the swallowing process. Find out what causes odynophagia (pain when swallowing).

Pain when swallowingis differentodynophagia . Swallowing pain appears most often in the chest, in the sternum. Patients often complain of a sore throat when swallowing saliva. Odinophagia is a symptom of esophageal diseases. It can affect anyone, but usually the elderly, neurologically ill and patients with head and neck tumors. Odinophagia occurs when a bite of food moves from the mouth to the throat, or when food moves through the esophagus. Swallowing is a reflex controlled by the central nervous system, so it depends largely on the central nervous system, but also on:

  • muscle work of the digestive tract
  • esophagus anatomy
  • locations or changes in adjacent organs

Pain on swallowing (odynophagia) - causes

Odinophagia can be caused by a malfunction of the central nervous system, but also by some anatomical defects. The reasons include:

  • CNS diseases (brain tumors, stroke, spinal diseases, multiple sclerosis, ischemia)
  • diseases of the muscular system in the throat area, as well as peripheral nerves (diabetes, myositis)
  • laryngeal tumors, enlarged thyroid diseases
  • diverticula in the upper part of the esophagus where food is deposited
  • oral cancer

Pain on swallowing (odynophagia) - causes

If the pain after swallowing occurs after swallowing a bite, the problem is not with the CNS (because the swallowing mechanism is correct), but with the structure of the esophagus and the connection of the esophagus with the stomach and neuromuscular regulation. This condition can be caused by:

  • mechanical obstruction (esophageal cancer, foreign body sticking, narrowing caused by burns or as a result of intubation)
  • side effect of some medications, e.g.used in the treatment of osteoporosis
  • neuromuscular diseases, e.g. myasthenia gravis, motor neuron diseases, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, sarcoidosis

Symptoms of odynophagia

The basic symptom of the disease is pain when swallowing - initially normal, chewed food, and with time also crumbled, mushy, and finally even water. This problem is usually accompanied by choking, choking, and the leakage of food through the nose while eating. The accompanying symptoms may be:

  • hoarseness
  • cough
  • hiccup
  • heartburn
  • wheezing
  • bad breath
  • watery eyes
  • dyzartria
  • retching
  • sensation of a bite of food stuck in the throat or esophagus
  • feeling of crowding in the chest while eating

Odinophagia can lead to dehydration or malnutrition and associated laboratory abnormalities.

Each of these additional symptoms is extremely important in the diagnosis of the underlying disease. For example :

  • hoarseness may indicate reflux, but also cancer of the larynx, esophagus or lung cancer, sometimes only laryngitis or esophagitis
  • hiccups can be a symptom of a hiatal hernia, esophageal cancer or stomach cancer
  • an unpleasant smell from the mouth, but also a cough may indicate esophageal diverticula
  • cough also occurs in reflux disease; if it is accompanied by the regurgitation of food to the throat, it may indicate impaired contraction of the esophagus
  • heartburn occurs most often with reflux
  • wheezing may be a symptom of a bronchial or mediastinal tumor
  • pain when swallowing - odynophogia - may indicate the presence of a tumor in the esophagus, but it is also only a symptom of drug irritation or pharyngitis

Pain when swallowing (odynophagia): treatment

Sudden swallowing pain most often indicates that a foreign body is stuck in the esophagus. The patient usually associates such an event - e.g. when he chokes on a bone, nut, etc. But slowly progressive and increasing odynophagy may already indicate a developing dangerous condition, so never underestimate problems with swallowing, even if they are still minor because it could be the beginning of a serious illness.

If the cause of odynophagia is a residual foreign body, the doctor will find it on the basis of an X-ray. Then the obstruction should be removed endoscopically, and after a short timeconvalescence, the patient will regain normal swallowing function.

Odinophagia can also be caused by the use of certain medications. In this case you have to set them aside and enter others.

However, if the cause of odynophagia is a disease, appropriate treatment must be implemented. In this case also the diagnosis usually begins with an X-ray examination, sometimes with contrast. Then esophagoscopy is performed, which is an examination that involves viewing the inner walls of the esophagus through a special speculum. The doctor may take tissue specimens for histopathological examination or samples for microbiological examinations. Fluoroscopic evaluation of the chewing and swallowing of foods of various consistencies, from liquids to stringy meat, should also be performed. Computed tomography of the mediastinum is also ordered if indicated.

Odynophagy prognosis

Curing odynophagia depends on its root cause, which causes pain when swallowing. If it is a foreign body in the esophagus, or if it is a consequence of a stroke, odynophagy may disappear completely. Even after other underlying diseases have been cured, odynophagy may not appear anymore. But if the pain when swallowing is caused by a neurological disease, it may be permanent.

Pain when swallowing - how to deal with odynophagia?

When swallowing problems persist, a feeding therapist is needed to teach the patient how to eat to minimize the risk of choking. For example, the retraction of the lower jaw before swallowing helps to close the larynx and open the top of the esophagus. The right - upright, vertical - eating position is also very important.

In the most difficult cases of dysphagia, gastric probe is considered, followed by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy.

People with swallowing problems should eat more often, but in smaller portions - to avoid malnutrition. You also need to adjust the consistency of food to the patient's abilities. It is often necessary to eliminate hard and dry foods, and e.g. bread or biscuits can only be served after soaking. For other patients, drinks are the biggest challenge. For the sick who choke while drinking, the drinks are thickened with special preparations. It is also easier to drink through a straw than directly from the glass.

Worth knowing

Odinophagia can be confused with the so-called a hysterical ball (globus hystericus), which is an emotional symptom. In this case, the feeling of obstruction in the throat does not cause swallowing problems.

Category:

Gastrology